NEWS ANALYSIS: Delivering across Africa is a new frontier for retailers
It’s a trek of almost 7,000km from Shoprite’s main distribution centre in Brackenfell, Cape Town, to a port in Nigeria, the company’s second-largest market in Africa. Africa’s largest food retailer operates 2,811 stores in 14 African countries. Distribution is at the heart of the company’s success. Shoprite’s extended centralised distribution facilitates the delivery of goods, making it one of the most efficiently operated supply chains on the continent. Last year the company commissioned a 123,000m² distribution centre in Cilmor, Cape Town, described as one of the most technologically advanced facilities on the continent. However, keen interest — and some might say corporate envy — has persisted in how the retailer manages to competitively get its products across the continent. The Cilmor distribution centre combines the operations of five distribution centres in Cape Town and is separated into ambient, frozen and chilled sections. The ambient section includes a "chocolate box" whe...
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