It was a bleak Black Friday for retailers in 2020 as sales fell by more than R5 billion. This year is expected to be an improvement.

Woolworths will proceed to collect the R7 reusable bags in certain stores after creating what people call ‘a Woolies bag problem’.

The Shoprite Group is trialling Checkers Rush – the first cashless and cashierless shop in SA – at its offices in Cape Town.

Shoprite Checkers has agreed to manage the roll-out and foot the bill for the Covid-19 vaccine if the government provides it for its staff.

TFG has now received the go-ahead from the Competition Tribunal and has acquired 420 Jet outlets – more than originally agreed.

The struggling retail chain has launched a new value-focused clothing range that it believes will help turn around its fortunes.

Dis-Chem CEO Ivan Saltzman has been trying to complete the merger “for many years” to bolster the offerings of the retailer.

The government have published a list of which clothes can – and cannot – be sold during Level 4 of lockdown, prompting a fierce political backlash.

The food giant have announced that shoppers will be able to park their cars and wait for their boots to be filled with their groceries.

The department has cracked the hip on non-compliant retailers who have failed to comply with the rules and regulations of the lockdown.

If you went on a panic buying spree this month, you should face the consequences of your actions – a ‘staggering’ amount of SA citizens had to go without.

Queues have been piling up at South African supermarkets on Thursday, as the nation prepares for a three-week lockdown. It’s been chaos out there.

“The supply chain will be fine”, Cyril Ramaphosa asserted on Monday. But not everyone has followed orders to stop stockpiling goods while shopping.

Local retailers are stepping it up and helping where they can with special deliveries and shopping hours for the elderly.

The Food and Drug Retailers Index on the JSE suddenly comes to life as investors spot an opportunity while consumers stock up.

Makro – along with several other retailers – have issued a robust response to the people panic-buying supplies in their stores due to coronavirus.

While we were working, this lot piled up the goods for themselves and went panic-buying in Makro. Not big, not clever, and not what will beat the coronavirus.

Black Friday specials gave November 2019 a retail sales boost, but the impact was felt in December, where disappointing sales figures contributed to a gloomy year overall.

What is the future of brick-and-mortar retailing? Is the physical store in terminal decline; about to be replaced by a faceless and impersonal, but more cost- effective, online retailing environment? The messages are mixed.

Retail sales up by 2.6% in November 2019. But the Black Friday bargain-hunting may hit Christmas sales figures, say analysts.

Despite its ‘desirable’ location, the large store in the upmarket
Johannesburg suburb had been underperforming.

Takealot is pulling out all the stops to achieve a record Black Friday turnover.

Say what you want about Takealot, but they are a company that stick to their word. The retailer is now R4 million out-of-pocket, thanks to the Springboks.

Retailers restructuring after suffering loses because of online store sales.

It’s also important to note that there’s a big difference between a ‘best before’ date and an ‘expiry’ date.