The retailer launched the competition in recognition that the development of small suppliers is vital to the growth of our economy. Access to the market, coupled with skills development, can offer small and emerging businesses a foot in the door and an opportunity to boost their businesses and take their business ideas to the next level of development.
Pick n Pay has partnered Absa bank, Times Media and the Seed Academy to give these small business owners the tools they will need to take their business ideas to the next level. The finalists will now go on to take part in an intensive entrepreneurial training programme before the final selection and listing of these businesses’ product or service of the Top 25 in June. During the six-week intensive training programme, the delegates will get expert advice on financial planning, strategy, mentorship and other important aspects of supplying Pick n Pay and the retail sector in general. They will take part in workshops and training sessions in their regions, and see at first-hand how a national retailer operates.
Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, Pick n Pay’s director: transformation, said: “The quality of applicants has been phenomenal. We received over 500 applications from across South Africa; from northern Mpumalanga to the Cape and many towns in between. We appreciate that small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, and by giving these start-ups access to training, funding and opportunities to become part of our national supplier network, Pick n Pay is helping to develop a new generation of entrepreneurs.” Pick n Pay has committed itself to creating 20 new jobs a day until 2020. “We want to ensure we create new jobs, teach new skills and share our knowledge and experience with more small business owners,” said Ackerman-Berman.
Pick n Pay’s handy Small Suppliers Toolkit, consists of relevant information for aspiring entrepreneurs and is available in Afrikaans, English, Xhosa and Zulu. More information is available at www.picknpay.co.za/boostyourbiz.
The applications come from a range of categories, including health and beauty, grocery, clothing, general merchandise, e-services and transport. A panel of judges comprising senior representatives of Pick n Pay, Absa, Seed and other investors will select the final top 25 businesses.
These winners will each receive a business package that includes mentorship, advice on strategy, product development, brand enhancement, marketing, and finance to boost their business. They will be able to use Pick n Pay’s centralised distribution centres to distribute their product or offer their services nationally. “By leveraging our distribution network, we’re providing a national footprint for their goods, which allows them to expand their offering considerably and achieve a much greater geographic spread than they would have if they had to distribute their products themselves.”
In the last financial year, Pick n Pay spent over R40 billion on South African suppliers, with 94% of its fresh-food products procured from local suppliers. Importantly, it’s spend on SMMEs quadrupled in 2015 and expenditure on BBBEE business rose by over 39.2% (to R3 billion), with a particular focus on black woman-owned businesses (R1 billion).
The 25 winners will be announced in June.
