The South African government’s Small Business Development Minister, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says her department has formalised over 2,000 spaza shops during the COVID-19 pandemic. Spaza shops are typically small, traditional grocery stores in black townships. Many operate from the shopkeeper’s home. The …

Amazon is recruiting 3,000 additional roles in its customer service teams in Johannesburg and Cape Town, bringing its total permanent workforce in South Africa to 7,000 employees. The new roles will provide round-the-clock support for Amazon customers in North America and Europe. …

South African discounter Massmart has received a R4bn ($230m) loan from its parent company Walmart to help its cash flow during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company estimates it has lost R2.3bn ($132.2m) in alcohol sales alone during just two months, …

Mr Yum, a web-based platform that allows consumers to order food from local restaurants, has launched in South Africa. The service is positioned as a cheaper alternative for restaurants than competitors Mr D Food and UberEats. Mr Yum, which first …

South Africa’s RCL Foods, which owns Rainbow Chicken and Selati Sugar, has warned of a sharp drop in profits as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial indications are that profits might fall by as much as 30% in the …

In South Africa, leading alcoholic drinks manufacturers have collaborated to offer a new digital click and collect ordering platform called Hola Club. South African Breweries (now part of AB InBev) has launched its own system, called Firsti. Still in the middle of a …

Hyprop Investments has revealed that, compared to last year, footfall in its malls fell by 71% in April as a result of COVID-19. Hyprop owns several premium malls, including Cape Town’s Canal Walk and Johannesburg’s Rosebank Mall. It also has …

Rumours in South Africa that Sasol is in talks with the state-owned Central Energy Fund (CEF) to sell its network of service stations have been denied by Sasol. Sasol is known to be considering the divestment of some of its assets …

Two months after the sale of alcohol was banned in South Africa as a coronavirus measure, sales have been allowed once more. There are restrictions: daytime sales only, not on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Drinks must be consumed at home, …

DHL Express has taken a minority stake in Link Commerce, the UK-based e-commerce platform that sits beneath MallforAfrica.com and DHL’s Africa eShop service. DHL is betting on a fundamental change in purchasing behaviours in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which …

Famous Brands, owner of the Steers, Wimpy, Mugg & Bean and Debonairs Pizza brands, has unveiled its three year strategic roadmap. The group has also reported a 6.4% increase in sales across all restaurants in SA, with 2.9% like-for-like sales growth for …

Shoprite has revealed that the sale of personal care products have soared at its Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets during the COVID-19 lockdown. The retailer says this is due to hair and beauty salons being closed and consumers having more time …

At Trendtype we have decided to put our thoughts down on paper, as it were. Headline: there are lots of reasons to believe that African countries may emerge from COVID-19 in better (or less worse) shape than developed economies in …

Pick n Pay has launched a new automated online grocery delivery service. The new system, called Grocery Genius, allows customers to set up an automatic weekly or monthly delivery of the products they buy most often, and is being positioned as …