Our lead story this week comes from Dis-Chem, which has announced the resignation of Saul Salzman, current executive director and son of founders Ivan and Lynette Salzman. Industry experts regard the resignation as a key step in the Saltzman family’s ongoing process of loosening its direct control over the business, following other leadership changes within the family, including Ivan Salzman stepping down as CEO two years ago and Lynette Salzman stepping back from the board the year before. “This is not a farewell but a continuation of the Dis-Chem journey under evolving leadership,” a board statement noted, framing Saul’s move as part of a generational realignment rather than a departure. Following the resignation effective February next year, Saltzman will remain on the board as a non-independent, non-executive director, indicating that the family’s influence on the company’s strategic direction will continue for now.

Comment: A story not dissimilar to Pick n Pay’s, and so many other successful family businesses, where instead of a hard-and-fast exit, the family’s operational role gradually separates from its ownership. A new chapter for the Salzmans, the Dis-Chem business and the healthcare retailing and service space in SA.

SPAR has a proud history of getting behind the people and teams of our sports-mad nation, from its 26-year sponsorship of the Proteas netball team to the SPAR Women’s Challenge and countless development projects. Now SPAR has added not one, but four bomb squads to its cohort by becoming the official grocery and liquor retail partner for The Sharks, Vodacom Bulls, The Lions, and DHL Stormers. “At SPAR, community comes first,” explains Mpudi Maubane, SPAR’s national PR, communications and sponsorship manager. “Rugby is the people’s game, and by backing provincial teams, we’re championing more than the sport itself; we’re backing the families, communities, and local economies it powers.” CEOs of the four rugby franchises all expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, highlighting the shared values of community, quality, and unity – the three-year sponsorship means SPAR will work with the unions to create new opportunities to grow grassroots rugby and support local economic development. The partnership will extend across both SPAR grocery stores and Tops at SPAR, where rugby fans can look forward to unique experiences and promotions on and around match days.

Comment: You can’t go far wrong sponsoring sport in the Beloved Country – and with all the airtime received by our rugby teams on TVs and big screens across the nation, SPAR’s branding may just become as ingrained in the national consciousness as a weekend braai.

The recipe for retail success in South Africa requires a defined and actionable social purpose. And a business that knows all about recipes is KFC, which late last month announced that it would FINALLY reveal its secret recipe. We only half fell for that one – turns out Col. Sanders’ crew did reveal a recipe of sorts, by open-sourcing the blueprint to its 16-year-old Add Hope initiative to end child hunger. In what it called “The Biggest Hunger Hack”, KFC, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg, challenged 60 young minds to “supercharge” the Add Hope ‘recipe’ to make it even more impactful. Ideas from the hackathon will be tested over the next six months, when the winning solution for tackling child hunger could receive up to R1m in seed funding. Next, Dis-Chem has renewed its partnership with Parkrun South Africa as the official pharmacy retail partner for the next three years. According to CEO, Rui Morais, “Parkrun is a powerful example of how [illness] prevention can be simple, free, and inclusive, and we are proud to support a movement that inspires people to move together, stay well, and build a healthier South Africa.” And finally, Mars (the manufacturer of pet products, not the bars) and retailers Pick n Pay, Takealot, and Pet Express (Mr D’s on-demand pet products offering) are collaborating on a nationwide initiative to promote pet well-being. The effort extends Mars’ “A Better World for Pets™” mission beyond just products to include education, awareness, adoption opportunities, and responsible pet care guidance. As part of their commitment, the partners will donate nearly 1,000kg of pet food to animal welfare organisations and support the expansion of sterilisation campaigns. They will also leverage their platforms to promote responsible pet care, highlight adoption, and share advice on pet nutrition and well-being.

Comment: Well done to all the above for shifting their focus from the bottom line to tangible social and community impact.

Amazon in the US has launched “Amazon Grocery”, a new private brand that will be replacing its current Amazon Fresh and Happy Belly labels, as well as introducing new products. The new value-focussed brand offers over 1,000 food items, most priced under US$5, including fresh produce, dairy, meat, seafood, pantry staples, snacks, and beverages. Amazon Grocery packaging will feature a modern, eye-catching design, reduce plastic usage and provide clear nutrition information. Still with private brands, Walmart says it will remove synthetic dyes and 30 other ingredients (including artificial sweeteners and preservatives) from its private label food brands by 2027. The change will affect about 1,000 products, mainly from the Great Value brand, and is in response to consumer demand for simpler ingredients. Some of the ingredients listed are already banned or not widely used in the US, while others have been flagged by the government for review and possible elimination as additives. And to round off, Asda in the UK has waged a war on prices for the upcoming holiday season by reducing prices on 956 products across various grocery and household categories. The initiative aims to help families facing rising living costs during an expensive time of year, with cuts averaging 6%, while some products will drop by over 30%.

The Competition Commission’s poultry market inquiry (PMI), which was first announced in February last year, has now officially been launched. Over the next 18 months, the inquiry will investigate various aspects of the poultry value chain, including pricing, vertical integration, imports, contract farming, retail, and transformation. The Comish has identified Astral, Rainbow Chicken, Country Bird and Sovereign as the country’s four largest chicken producers, accounting for nearly 63% of SA’s chicken production. Both Astral and Rainbow have publicly welcomed the inquiry, and while Country Bird and Sovereign have not made formal statements as yet, the SA Poultry Association (Sapa) – which the two companies are members of – has stated its intention to cooperate. Astral in particular emphasised that the PMI “is not an investigation into anti-competitive behaviour,” but rather an assessment of how the market functions and whether any structural issues distort competition. The commission will gather its evidence through public hearings, information requests, and summons powers.

In response to Nestlé’s commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the South African arm of the business is setting a new standard for sustainable milk production through the adoption of climate-smart practices at the farms supplying it. Initially piloted at the Skimmelkrans Boerdery in George (Western Cape), 93 dairy farms along the Garden Route are now implementing these methods. Key initiatives adopted include eco-friendly cow feed, using a special mix of legumes and herbs instead of grass to make cows healthier and reduce, ahem, emissions, prioritising organic fertilisers and conducting annual soil tests to reduce the farm’s carbon footprint, relying on perennial pastures and no-till planting to trap more carbon in the soil (good for the crops and great for our atmosphere), and using better manure management to regenerate the soil. In the case of Skimmelkrans specifically, the farm has been able to achieve a 20% emissions reduction since 2022.