South african retailers | Retail Advice

Retail success – directly related to Exco management team!

December 20, 2016 admin

Retail performance is directly related to the abilities of the executive management team. Successful retail chains have one thing in common, a management team who are in sinc with the needs of the business. When egos and insecurities take second place, those operations will thrive and move ahead. Retailers who have insecure managers only interested in themselves are sure to stumble and fall eventually. Leaders who inspire performance from the team understanding the need to motivate and generate excitement. Unfortunately retail companies who have a senior manager at the helm…

You choose!

December 16, 2016December 16, 2016 admin

The 16th December 2016 being a public holiday and nine days before Xmas, saw many retailers deciding to offer incentives to attract customers. I was in one of our malls and noticed Cotton On had a one day only special. – 40% off all ladies, men’s and homeware merchandise. Now this is a really genuine opportunity for consumers as the 40% discount is on the total range not just the slow sellers that the retailer usually has selected to suit them and not you. The result to me looked like…

Kelso ! – Really

December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 admin

Kelso is a clothing label we are all probably familure with, but don’t really consider it to be a brand. It’s more of a label stitched in the inside of the garments where no one can see. We certainly don’t want to wear it as a logo as we would Guess or Nike etc. Kelso belongs to Edgars and has been around for decades, being the merchandise label which is used to identify the house brand. In its day it was the dominate department in the store, generating the best…

Retail Today- What is really happening!

November 27, 2016November 27, 2016 admin

It’s not the first time I have written about the changing retail landscape in South Africa and I am sure it will not be the last, as the metamorphosis continues. If we go back +/- five years, the change process had already started. Edgars were involved in a private equity deal which had massive impact on revenue and the business started to drown in debt, loan repayments etc. Senior management made some critical errors with the merchandise direction and started flooding the stores with expensive branded product the South African…

Edgar’s – Numbers tell a story.

September 21, 2016September 22, 2016 admin

Edgars have just released a 1Q17 trading update which both confirm and highlight the state of the business at this time. Sales fell -8.1% to R6 billion. Cash sales fell -2.7% and credit sales fell by -15.6%. Gross profit margin decreased to 36%. Management is blaming the following for the shocking results…. 1. Restructuring taking a lot of managements time. 2. Supply interruptions. 3. Reduction in office staff. 4. Late onset of winter. 5. Timing of Easter. This indicates just how far off reality the executive team is if it…

Keedo kids fashion – Proudly South African!

August 25, 2016September 22, 2016 admin

If you are looking to buy your kids great quality merchandise made from natural fabrics with the added bonus of being manufactured in SA, then shop at Keedo retail stores. This business is one we can all be proud of employing over 100 South Africans at its factory in Paarden Eiland Capetown. Supporting this retail chain keeps the profits in SA rather than leaving the country as what happens when you purchase from brands such as H&M, Zara, etc. The babies department 0 to 3 months is definitely a strength in…

Are retail stores really trying to generate a sale!

June 22, 2016September 22, 2016 admin

On Monday 20th June 2016, the day after “Fathers Day” I decided to go do a little shopping to try and gauge if retail stores are serious about making a sale and deliver a great customer experience. Arrived at Tygervalley at 12h10 and was glad to get into the mall from the cold rainy weather outside. First store to attract me over the threshold was Cape Union Mart. Always a great store to shop in when the cape winter is blowing a gale and temperatures are dropping. In the middle…

MTN – You disappoint..

May 31, 2016February 11, 2020 admin

I cannot understand the thinking behind the MTN retail stores in our malls. A business of this size which requires so much revenue to stay ahead, has simply no understanding of customer service. I will give you an example, today I needed to buy one gig of data to reload my mini ipad. It’s probably a sale which will take three minutes to execute and gives MTN R160 in cash. How easy is that. Not for MTN, when I arrive at the Canal Walk store, which has eight point of…

Edgars – Continues to move closer to its destiny!

May 2, 2016September 22, 2016 admin

I have written a few articles on Edgars over the past year all fairly negitive regarding its future. In summary the business is drowning in debt and has completely lost focus and direction on its core function, which is to be a retailer. In its current state it simply cannot compete with new up to date retailers such as H&M/Zara etc arriving in Edgars back yard and making them look like amatures. Taking market share from Edgars is so easy for the new kids on the block as Edgars simply…

Old Khaki – An inspiration!

April 24, 2016September 22, 2016 admin

Today I needed to pop out to Builders Warehouse to buy some paint. It was a little cooler than normal so I pulled on a pair of Guess jeans and a polo shirt, one of my favorite Cape Union Mart polo shirts. When I arrived at the store I bumped into a friend of mine and could not help but notice he was also wearing a Cape Union Mart polo. I walked into the store and came across a guy wearing a T-shirt with Old Khaki pasted on the front.…