Shoprite creates new jobs despite tough trading conditions.
According to Shoprite group CEO Pieter Engelbrecht, the grocery chain has created 4,305 new jobs in South Africa in the second half of 2020.
This announcement was revealed in the group’s latest interim results for the six months ending 27 December 2020.
The food retail giant has a 140,000-strong workforce and includes Shoprite, Checkers, USave and OK stores among its chains.
Shoprite did not specify in which areas of the SA business the jobs were created, but growth most likely came through the successful Checkers Sixty60 on-demand delivery service and new store openings such as Rosebank Mall and Mall of Thembisa.
Some of Shoprite’s competitors, such as Massmart, have cut jobs and closed stores, so the new jobs will provide much needed employment in the face of South Africa’s high jobless rate.
Engelbrecht says that the supermarket’s local business has achieved 22 months of uninterrupted market share gains. Its South African business, which accounts for 78 percent of the group’s income, grew sales by 5.6 percent during the half-year.
“This is an incredible result given that our customer base spans the entire South African food retail spectrum. Our South African supermarkets’ internal selling price inflation of 4.3 percent for the six months reflects our unwavering commitment to our customers on price,” says Engelbrecht.
