Massmart has suffered yet another blow after the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the retailer could not claim nearly R1 billion worth of losses from the taxman for a share incentive scheme implemented 20 years ago for senior managers.

Consumer confidence recovered lost ground back to levels seen exactly a year ago before the Covid-19 pandemic in the first quarter of 2021, but still remained at contractionary level.

Shoprite posted improved profitability and recorded 4.7 percent sales growth to R83.4 billion during the six months ended in December, despite liquor sales taking a knock on Covid19 restrictions in its South African supermarkets and currency devaluations eroding its footprint across the rest of the continent.

Retailer Woolworths on Thursday (25 February) reported strong growth in its food division for the 26 weeks ended 27 December 2020, with improved trading momentum across all businesses over the final six weeks of the reporting period.

Pharmacy group Dis-Chem says it reaped the benefits of consumers’ increased interest in preventing disease, reporting “remarkable growth” in the sale of vitamins and chronic-drugs over the past few months.

AFRICA'S largest retailer Shoprite posted a 4.7 percent growth in total merchandise sales to R83.4 billion during the six months ended on December 27 last year, despite the ban on liquor trading hurting its overall performance.

Robust demand in Woolworths’ food division helped offset Covid-19-related pressure in Australia and its fashion business in the last half of 2020, the retail group reports.

Competition Commission expresses concern over inflation of meat prices across the board

Food Lovers’s Market says its groceries and perishables were up 37 percent for the year and 44 percent for the past six months.

Retail group Woolworths says the changes to consumer behaviour due to Covid-19 remain in place, including fewer visits to larger malls and city centres, and a reduced demand for formalwear.

Retail group Spar says it has benefited from a Covid-19-induced trend where consumers opt for local and convenience stores rather than crowded malls, with revenue jumping double digits in its year to end-September.

Africa’s largest retailer Shoprite says lockdown restrictions on liquor trade cut sales growth in its core SA market by more than half in the three months to September, partially masking the effects of market share gains.