The short version: Clicks increases stake in premium beauty retailer | Boots No7 returns to SA shelves
‘Beauty’ has always been one of Clicks’ hallmark offerings, and two bits of recent news are proof that they’re doubling down in this area. Early this week, we learned that Clicks has increased its stake in premium beauty retailer ARC to a majority shareholding of 61%. Clicks and ARC’s relationship dates back to 2021, with the former increasing its share in 2025, and again now. Offering a curated portfolio of international prestige brands across fragrance, skincare, makeup, haircare and bath and body, ARC has 12 stores in major SA shopping malls and a strong online presence, with plans to grow to between 20 and 30 stores in the medium term. ARC has been an affinity partner of Clicks ClubCard since 2021 and Clicks stores also provide collection points for ARC’s click-and-collect offering. In an interesting piece of data-sharing, the Group tells us that spend in Clicks by ARC customers increased by +16% in the past year.

Then, Clicks is bringing iconic beauty brand Boots No7 back to our sunny shores. The more life-experienced among us will recall that No7 was available in South Africa some thirty-odd years ago, only to have quietly slipped off the shelves. Launched in the UK back in 1935 to democratise quality beauty products, over the decades the brand has evolved into a global, science-backed beauty icon. Its return follows direct feedback from Clicks customers, who, when asked which brands they most wanted to see on local shelves, identified No7 as their number one choice. “The partnership supports our ambition to give South African consumers greater access to the world’s leading beauty brands and to continue building the most compelling beauty destination in the market,” said Bongiwe Ntuli, Clicks Group Executive: Retail.

The short version:  SPAR preps the market for disappointing performance
There is a lot going on at SPAR at the moment, so on this week the Group released a voluntary update to address recent media coverage and shareholder enquiries. Here’s what you need to know:

• RE: New appointments – An independent firm has been tasked with recruiting a new chairperson and additional independent non-executive directors. The aim is to finalise and announce the appointees by early November.
• RE: Retailer relationships – Relations and collaboration between SPAR and its independent retailers are improving thanks to a greater focus on shared operational and commercial priorities.
• RE: Operations and turnaround – Margin optimisation is being addressed through pricing, range and category initiatives. The Group is also focused on improving efficiencies in IT, its DCs, logistics and financial management software
• RE: Growth initiatives – SPAR2U is to be refreshed, with a pilot rollout planned before the end of 2026. Private label is being repositioned (wrt design, SKUs and promotional effectiveness) to improve margin
• RE: Financials – FY2026 is expected to underperform FY2025, as operational improvements have not yet started bearing fruit. However, Group net debt levels are expected to reduce compared to H1

The short version: UNIQ opens 50th store | PnP honours the Arch with limited-edition T-shirts
We focus on the clothing businesses of a couple of our FMCG retailers this week, kicking off with UNIQ Clothing by Checkers, which opened its 50th store in Sea Point, Cape Town. The brand has taken just over three years to reach this important milestone. “Reaching our 50th store is an incredibly exciting moment for us,” says Benise Spangenberg, Head Buyer.  “It is a reflection of the incredible response we have received from our customers and their appetite for clothing that combines great fabrics, quality and an elevated sense of style at an accessible price.”

And to mark what would have been Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 95th birthday on 7 October, Pick n Pay Clothing has released a limited-edition celebratory collection of T-shirts. Designed in collaboration with Gavin Rajah, the collection includes four designs, and R10 from every shirt sold will be donated to the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, supporting its work with more than 6,000 schoolchildren annually. The T-shirt designs include the emblem of a rose and a bold graphic portrait of the Arch, with his famous quote: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”