AFRI-SAVE CASH & CARRY: Afri-Save is the Uitenhage Community Pillar

In Kariega (Uitenhage), Eastern Cape a local business is thriving by creating and nurturing long-lasting relationships with clients. While most claim to know their customers, Afri-Save Cash & Carry – a company with two decades of knowledge – has developed a deep understanding of its buyers through a client-centric strategy which keeps people coming back.

Selling a large range of products and organising the best possible pricing, Afri-Save has a solution for every problem. Family-run, its 120 people are dedicated to development of relationships and upliftment of the communities in which it operates.

For 16 years, Director Munir Jeeva has been learning and navigating the ever-changing retail landscape and now holds a senior position in the Afri-Save business. He tells Enterprise Africa that the company will open more retail outlets and build its product portfolio to continue delighting customers, becoming a genuine turnkey offering.  

“We are a wholesale distribution company appealing to the full spectrum of the market, not only your bottom end retailer, but also your middle and top end consumer,” he begins. “We pride ourselves as a one-stop-shop destination hence why we keep up to 25,000 SKUs meaning the full range from every single category, including groceries, hardware, cosmetics, plastic wear, crockery and more.”

Afri-Save sells mainly to customers within a 500km radius of its Uitenhage HQ, and is serviced by a distribution fleet of 12 trucks – from one tonne up to 24 tonnes, as well as a 34-tonne super link – allowing it to effectively provide for each market segment.

“In addition, we have Afri-Mart Supermarkets, which is our retail element, appealing directly to the end consumer. We have five stores in and around Uitenhage.

“Our plans are not only around the product range but also about opening more retail stores in and around the city. We plan to have 30-35 of these retail outlets before we can franchise and grow in that way. When the brand has equity, we want to take it much further.”

Afri-Save stocks a mix of local and international brands, with competitive pricing and seasonal requirements always taken into account. But, alongside a leading retail operation, the work that Afri-Save does within the community is unparalleled and paints the picture of a caring, considerate, and genuine member of Eastern Cape society. Very few companies go to the lengths of Afri-Save, helping it to further deepen its knowledge of its clients.

CARING CITIZEN

“A large contribution that we make to our community is through our social upliftment projects,” says Jeeva. “This is something that we really buy into. We don’t go into communities and take. We give back as much as possible, probably more than any other business in this province.”

This giving comes in the form of donations of food and other products for those in need, through to the organisation of healthcare drives – particularly poignant right now in times of global pandemic.

“We manage blood donation drives on a regular basis. We work closely with the different blood drive centres and that is on a consistent basis over a number of years. A number of our employees are already gold badge donors who have donated 40-50 pints of blood,” adds Jeeva.

“We have run Covid vaccination drives. We worked very closely with the department of health in the Eastern Cape and they told us that we were one of the most successful Covid drives in our province. We are continuing with plans to run similar drives in the future.”

The company also delivers hot meals to children in disadvantaged areas of the province, helping to eradicate hunger in the lives of hundreds of young people every single day. This is an initiative that has been undertaken by Afri-Save for 15 years and is run in partnership with local community leaders who help identify those in need of support from the transcending company.

“If there are medical needs, or requirements from an up-and-coming person in sports or education – we listen, we provide feedback, and we get involved,” says Jeeva.

“We also offer food parcel drives and we get many requests from different communities regarding food parcels. We prepare a nice package that will last a family of four or six people for one month. We distribute hundreds of these parcels on an ongoing basis, wherever the need is in the Eastern Cape.”

DRIVING TRAFFIC

Bringing customers into Afri-Save – whether on the wholesale or retail side of the business – has been an area of strong success for Jeeva and colleagues. By creating a welcoming culture, adopted by every employee, and by developing a comfortable and hospitable environment, customers are at the heart of Afri-Save’s strategy.

“We have a fully-fledged restaurant as you enter our store and that is inhouse. A lot of customers who travel to get to our store and be in a relaxed environment and eat for no additional charge. Our sales assistants can walk through the stores and advise on any product and give info about what products are performing well in certain areas so they can buy correctly, and at the best price,” states Jeeva.

Advertising in store is directed at successful products that will drive business for clients, and is specific to seasons and often involves brands for activations and promotions. “We listen and we are happy to get involved in advertising on store level – we see things through,” says Jeeva.

The customer journey is carefully planned and was demonstrated recently when Afri-Save welcomed stokvel clubs from around the Eastern Cape for their Christmas shopping.

“We go very big on that and offer items that are always in demand,” says Jeeva. “We also offer what we call the Big Five – a selection of five services that no other competitor offers. We are able to collect customers from wherever they are in the province, bring them to our store, give them free breakfast, and give them a personal shopper while they compile their basket. We also give a gift for each member of their buying club, and on top of that we transfer the stokvel members and their products back to their location.

“These stokvel clubs are usually 15-20 people and are usually females from disadvantaged backgrounds. They save throughout the year and we really commend that as it does result in a fantastic Christmas for themselves, their friends and families. We as a company go the extra mile to assist in this so that they can have a prosperous festive period.”

The company also uses social media heavily to promote various campaigns and engage with clients online, bolstering its impressive physical presence.

PROUD PARTNER

South Africa’s retail sector was hard hit through 2020 and 2021 with online being one of the few prospects for traditional retailers. But for Afri-Save – an essential provider – stores remained open and sales continued as people looked for access to essential products in a safe and reliable environment.

One of the reasons for the ongoing success in Afri-Save, even through some of the most challenging trading conditions, is Jeeva’s commitment to family values and quality service.

“I started 16 years ago and when I started this was a very family-run business. My father had a lot of experience in this industry and since I was a child, we would always come to the wholesale cash and carry and start packing shelves or work as a cashier. We would work across different departments, and I would watch my father and aspire to be like he was in the place of business – everyone respected him and he had a great reputation in the different markets.

“When I started, the company had been established for four years, I worked my way up the ladder from receiving stock to working on the floor, answering the phones, telemarketing, creating pricing strategies, managing people, before getting involved with all administration, and eventually buying and negotiating with suppliers at all levels,” he details.

This comprehensive understanding allows Jeeva to drive culture within the business and promote the need to constantly understand the client and their ever-changing needs. Central in this process is communication – listening and providing the correct feedback – and always staying up to date with trends.

In the future, this exciting and ambitious brand will continue to bring more to the community while driving excellent financial results which will allow it to thrive further.

For Jeeva, there is no doubt that quality customer service and enduring relationships will remain at the heart of Afri-Save.

“We pride ourselves not only on price – we buy volumes directly from suppliers and we trade under 20,000m² – but we look at product range and quality of service. When people walk into our store, they are always greeted by a friendly face and we develop a relationship,” he concludes.