Markets/Africa and Middle East/News

Africa & Middle East news & analysis

15 November 2018
Saudi Arabia-based marketplace noon has announced plans to launch its first Yellow Friday sale. The event will run during November and will see it offer a series of deals, offers and fun events for shoppers. Event to provide deep discounts… Noon has launched the event, which will operate for shoppers in Saudi Arabia and UAE, to enhance the customer experience by offering ultra-competitive p...
08 November 2018
Spar South Africa has revealed plans to develop its digital strategy. The retailer hopes it will “streamline its IT operations and maintain its competitive edge in the local retail market” . SPAR adopts Microsoft Office 365 The retailer has adopted Microsoft Office 365 and the cloud computing service Microsoft Azure. Greg Hay, group technology and operations executive at the SPAR Group, ex...
07 November 2018
We look at how UAE-based Lulu and Spinneys Egypt are investing in Egypt. Lulu to open four new warehouses… Lulu has announced plans to invest US$500m to expand in Egypt over the next two years. The retailer will open four warehouses in 6 October City, New Cairo and Obour and two logistic centres. The logistic centres will support the logistics of frozen fish and are likely to be located nea...
30 October 2018
UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim, which operates the Carrefour brand across the Middle East and Africa, has undertaken a series of steps in different countries to create a more convenient experience for shoppers. Investing in Wadi Group in Saudi Arabia As part of its strategy to expand its omnichannel offering, Majid Al Futtaim has invested in Saudi Arabia-based Wadi Group. The investment, which ...
30 October 2018
UAE-based LuLu has announced plans to invest US$500m to expand its presence in Egypt over the next two years. LuLu will build four hypermarkets… LuLu hopes to open four new hypermarkets in 6 October City, New Cairo and Obour. The expansion is expected to provide 40,000 job opportunities and is due to start in November 2018. …and two logistic centres The retailer will also build two lo...
19 October 2018
South Africa-based Pick n Pay reports its strongest six-month trading performance for five years. The retailer also extends its partnership with BP to benefit its loyalty programme customers. Positive H1 2018 results… Pick n Pay has reported growth of 19.1% in profit before tax in H1 2018. Profit reached ZAR670.2m (US$46.8m) compared with ZAR562.8m (US$39.3m) in H1 2017. The retailer’s LFL ...
03 October 2018
We round up the latest Majid Al Futtaim news in the Middle East. This includes introducing new technology to improve customer shopping experience, rebranding Retail Arabia stores and opening its second supermarket in Armenia. Dubai trials scan & go Carrefour Dubai is trialling scan & go technology in a bid to improve its shopping experience. The service is available at City Centre Deira and...
03 October 2018
Kenya-based Tusker Mattresses has introduced a new business strategy which focuses on responding to customer demand. The retailer will invest over KES200m (US$2m) in ‘shop in shop’ electronic stores at its hypermarkets in Kisumu, Mombasa and Nairobi. Premium consumer electronic products on sale Tuskys stores offer a variety of premium consumer electronic products including hi-fi’s, OLED dis...
01 October 2018
South African department store chain Woolworths has upgraded its mobile app to enable in-app shopping. Woolworths hopes the new feature will create a fully integrated customer experience and increase sales. Mobile transactions have increased 64% The retailer has invested in its mobile app to meet the growing demand for ecommerce. It has experienced a 64% increase in mobile transactions from...
01 October 2018
Circle K UAE will celebrate its 10 th year operating in the UAE by expanding its convenience store network. The retailer hopes to operate 100 convenience stores by the end of 2019. Target tourist and commercial locations Circle K UAE is planning to expand its network within the next five years. The retailer currently operates 35 convenience stores in the UAE and hopes to reach a total of 1...