Walmart’s entry into SA is set to have a profound and far-reaching impact on Africa’s retail supply chain.
What are some of the ‘must do’s’ that every retailer will have to action to survive? How can smaller retailers meet the challenge? What will be the benefits and disadvantages of Walmart’s presence in the South African market and how will that impact local retailers?
Join former award-winning CNN correspondent, Paul Tilsley, when he interviews retail expert Simon Mathers at a Networking Breakfast to be held at Africa’s Big Seven (AB7) this July.
Some obstacles South African retailers may face is Walmart’s efficient consumer response strategy (ECR) and its unparalleled buying power.
‘African retailers will be forced to up their game,’ says John Thomson, managing director of Exhibition Management Services, the organisers of AB7. ‘Complacency will become a bad habit of the past, and collaboration in the supply chain will be essential. With Walmart’s lean pricing structures, local retailers will be forced to focus on driving efficiencies and improving their processes, whilst implementing innovative pricing strategies.’
Thomson adds that the networking breakfast could equip retailers and their supply chain partners with the tools and knowledge needed to overcome these challenges and build robust enterprises - even with Walmart on the scene.
Secrets of a retail guru:
Simon Mathers is a results-driven business leader in the retail industry with 30 years experience. He has contributed performance growth and profitability in diverse retail organisations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. His expertise extended to South Africa, when he was a director at Massmart.
Mathers is a specialist in reading and understanding trends, strategic planning, start-up operations, sales, marketing, business development, leadership, relationship building and commercial operations.
About Walmart:
In 2010 Walmart was the world's largest public corporation by revenue. Headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, it is the largest majority private employer in the US and Mexico, with 2.1 million employees. It is also the largest grocery retailer in the United States. In 2009, it generated 51 per cent of its $258 billion in sales in the US grocery business.
Walmart's international operations currently comprise 4 263 stores and 660 000 employees in 15 countries outside the United States. In the 2010 financial year, Walmart's international division sales were $100 billion, almost 25 per cent of its total global sales.
Questions Tilsley will be putting to Mathers:
How have major players Walmart, Carrefour and Tesco rolled out across Europe?
How have local players faired and survived in the rush for market share?
What are some of the mass merchandisers’ weaknesses and how can smaller speciality stores focus on a narrow but lucrative niche?
Why are South African retailers unique in comparison to their counterparts in the rest of the world?
Mathers and Tilsley will present a special segment on what the new business advantages of Mobile (E/M) Commerce can give African retailers, including:
International success stories in E/M Commerce and insights into why companies that ignored this development are no longer around;
Talk through and demonstration of some of the latest mobile commerce solutions;
Demonstrate how new markets in the Middle East are racing ahead with this new sales and marketing technology.
