Durban — The Spar Group has redefined township shopping through local partnerships.
The group has done this by collaborating with local providers to power its SPAR2U delivery service in underserved areas across South Africa.
The move challenges the notion that townships are high-risk areas and cannot be adequately serviced. This will be a series of first-in-South Africa partnerships forged to stimulate local economies and revolutionise the shopping experience for township residents.
A case in point is its collaboration with KasiD, a food delivery service that has played a pivotal role in launching the SPAR2U home delivery service in Tembisa. The relationship between Spar and KasiD will enable the roll out of SPAR2U services in Kempton Park, Kaalfontein, Ivory Park, Soweto, Mamelodi and Glen Marais.
SPAR2U is also establishing partnerships with Delivery Ka Speed in Pretoria, expanding its reach to Mamelodi and Hammanskraal, and will soon be rolling out partnerships with other local providers to offer SPAR2U in townships across the country.
SPAR2U is live in 361 Spar stores nationwide – including KwikSpar, Spar, SuperSpar and TOPS at Spar – with another 170 to go live in the coming months. With SPAR2U, shoppers can quickly and easily order their products from their favourite Spar stores, to get delivered to their doorstep.
“In terms of our township partnership roll-out, we plan on expanding further into Pretoria and into Cape Town within two months and to other provinces soon after,” Spar Group omnichannel executive Blake Raubenheimer said.
“Residents in these areas can now easily access SPAR2U by downloading the app, placing an order from their favourite store, and our partners will handle the delivery. The SPAR2U basket limit is 60 items, but shoppers can order multiple units of each item. The minimum spend for deliveries is R100.
“A significant portion of South Africans reside in townships and should have the same access to the ease and convenience of online shopping and home deliveries as residents in city areas. “But SPAR2U deliveries by our partners are not just about ease and convenience; they’re primarily about seizing cost-saving opportunities.
“Township residents no longer have to queue at taxi ranks and travel long distances for their shopping. Neighbours are collaborating, pooling their grocery needs, sharing delivery costs, and ultimately saving money,” Raubenheimer said.
These savings, previously spent on travel, are being directed towards purchasing food, directly benefiting families. The expanded variety of groceries available through the SPAR2U service is also empowering households to diversify their food choices.
“At the Spar Group we understand that for the poorest 10% of households, food makes up 40% of their total expenditure. Food is expensive right now and so, if we can help our shoppers save, either through our house brand Spar products or through delivering their groceries to their doors, then we’re committed to that, regardless of their location,” Raubenheimer said.
“We are deeply dedicated to becoming a part of these communities, delivering Spar retail services through our local partners who possess an acute understanding of local needs, actively support local causes, and provide employment for individuals from the very communities they serve.”
Raubenheimer said that as purchasing and delivery habits evolve, the Spar Group aims to proactively adapt to the changing landscape to introduce Spar Rewards, conditional offers, single-product and multiproduct-purchasing incentives, combo deals, and more to enhance the township shopping experience.
“We want to empower township shoppers in the digital era, making shopping more accessible, convenient, and cost-effective for all. Together with our dedicated partners we look forward to continuing to reshape the future of township retail.”
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