As #AfricaMonth draws to a close here at Biz, we interview the Shoprite Group's COO of non-RSA outlets Gerhard Fritz on how the grocery retailer trailblazed trading in Africa. With footprints in over 460 locations across 14 African countries, Fritz shares the highs and lows of Shoprite's journey across the continent. We also chat to Manufacturing Indaba MD Liz Hart as the fifth annual industry event approaches. She lets us in on the evolution of the Manufacturing Indaba conference and expo, its importance for the industry and this year's highlights. There were a number of interesting announcements from popular SA retailers last week. First, Pick n Pay revealed an intensified focus on fresh produce with the launch of its new three-tiered offering. Then Shoprite launched a new mobile wallet service that enables customers to deposit, withdraw or send money as well as buy groceries at any of the till points in all Shoprite, Checkers, Checkers Hyper or Usave stores. And FreshStop announced that two new branded food lines, Hot Dog Bar and Africaz, have been added to its growing food stable. We also have the top insights shared at Nielsen's Consumer 360 event - a good read that summarises the major shifts at play in SA's consumer landscape. Enjoy! Lauren Hartzenberg Retail Editor: Bizcommunity.com

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