Trading conditions

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – We had an exceptional year last year, no complaints. September and October were a bit challenging because of the rugby, but for many people a pint and a braai were more important than shopping.

January and February were pretty consistent. March was tough, but still slightly up on last year.

One thing I have noticed is that since covid, Sundays generally, public holidays, long weekends, and Easter are now a write off – a lot of people go away, and they can’t afford to travel and shop – cash is limited.

We were pretty much on the back foot at the beginning of April, but since cold weather started there has been an uptick.

It has been quite stressful trying to get stock into port – in fact, a nightmare. It used to take 35-40 days to get stock into our DC after shipping, but this year it took 3 months. But we are there now, and trade has improved.

Overall, margins have decreased, and inflation has been unreal. As retailers, we must wheel and deal, and offer value. We are spending a lot on marketing, working social media, getting the brand right, being aggressive, because we have to trade.

The election has been a spanner in the works, and we see a resistance to opening wallets. We hope the outcome is positive. We have to get through it, and after a couple of months it should be okay. We have to keep on getting ahead.