Profitability, collaboration and customer focus emerged as defining themes at the Trade Intelligence Retail Conference 2025, where industry leaders gathered to discuss the future of South African retail.
Moeng Setiloane of Clicks Group and Dylan Piatti of Advantage Group on stage discussing the power of retailer and supplier collaboration at the Ti Retail Conference 2025. Image supplied
Pick n Pay’s managing executive Dave Ramsden set the tone: “It is all about growth, but at profit. Sales at margin.”
Speakers stressed that collaboration between retailers and suppliers is no longer optional.
“You can’t have an ‘us versus them’ anymore… when you don’t work together, you both lose,” said Moeng Setiloane of Clicks Group. Ramsden added, “Everything starts with trust… partners rely on each other to be honest and straightforward.”
Dave Ramsden, management executive at Pick n Pay, with Lauren Filen, customer sirector Africa at Advantage Group, during the discussion ‘Winning for the future: Lessons from leadership’ at the 2025 Ti Retail Conference
Moeng Setiloane of Clicks Group and Dylan Piatti of Advantage Group on stage discussing the power of retailer and supplier collaboration at the Ti Retail Conference 2025.
Partnerships and shopper centricity were framed as critical in a climate of economic uncertainty and supply chain disruption. Paul Vos, Regional MD of CIPS Southern Africa, cautioned: “The future is unpredictable, it’s messy, and it’s disruptive. No supply chain is immune to that. What we need are supply chains that are resilient, ethical, and adaptable.”
Trade Intelligence’s Nicola Allen reinforced the shopper lens, unpacking how the meaning of ‘value’ shifts across different channels. She noted that understanding what shoppers prioritise has never been more important to guide retailers’ and suppliers’ strategies.
Building on this, Trade Intelligence’s Carey Leighton and Kerry Elliot shared forecasts pointing to both risks and opportunities across the FMCG landscape.
“We need to build channel strategies aligned to the shopper mission – why does the shopper come to you, and what are they looking for?” said Elliot.
Leighton highlighted e-commerce, discounters and health & personal care specialists as standout growth areas, noting that Shoprite’s Sixty60 has already reached nearly R19bn in turnover and is growing at close to 50% year-on-year.
Innovation was also a strong thread, with speakers showcasing new models to unlock growth. Yebo Fresh’s Jessica Boonstra highlighted how digitisation is reshaping access to goods in township markets, while Flow, Woolworths, Clarins and Zapper demonstrated the potential of commerce media to connect brands with shoppers.
Community inclusion featured prominently. Big Save CEO Tony Ferreira urged suppliers to back township entrepreneurs: “Our biggest drive is to empower people to be successful with the support of brands… let’s show dignity back to the spaza owner or the entrepreneur.” Mustard Finance shared how credit partnerships with informal traders have delivered a 99.9% repayment rate.
Speakers also urged a global perspective. Lucy Vallender, chief knowledge officer at Smollan Global Knowledge Office, stressed: “Future-forward retail means tapping into global shifts while tailoring them to South African realities.”
In closing, Trade Intelligence general manager Janene Laas summed up the challenge ahead: “Growth without profit isn’t sustainable. None of us can do this alone. And the shopper will always be the ultimate judge.”
