IMS SA: Leading the Way in Authentic Retail Experiences
IMS continues to set the benchmark for in-store experience as retailers compete on more than price. By creating authenticity and valuable experience, IMS helps to build loyalty. MD of IMS South Africa, Steyn Laubscher, tells Enterprise Africa more about the building a resilient partner for SA’s biggest retailers.
Supported by:
South Africa’s retail environment has long struggled with a lack of inspiration and authenticity, especially within the fresh food service areas of supermarkets. As Managing Director of International Merchandising Solutions (IMS) South Africa, Steyn Laubscher explains: “Retail in SA has traditionally been quite stale. There haven’t been many evolutions around how we look at things.”
This stagnation has resulted in service counters that often feel more industrial than inviting, diminishing the customer experience.
This challenge is particularly apparent in areas such as butchery, bakery, fresh meat, cheese, and fresh produce. Historically, retail fixtures prioritised functionality over form, focusing on practicality but failing to enhance the product visually or emotionally. “People were always looking at industrial type displays that were very practical and functional but didn’t add anything to the product,” Laubscher tells Enterprise Africa.
In an increasingly competitive retail market, where challenger brands are innovating rapidly, such a lack of authenticity risks losing consumer interest and loyalty.
CRAFTING AUTHENTICITY
IMS has made it its mission to transform this dynamic. Founded two decades ago IMS has specialised in the manufacture and installation of display cabinets and shopfitting products tailored to the South African retail market, primarily working with the Shoprite Checkers Group.
Laubscher shares the origin story: “Around 20 years ago, the IMS Group began importing cabinets and distributing them to big retailers for milk, cheese, and other fresh products. Over time, we realised that, specifically in the service areas in retail spaces (hot and cold deli, butchery, bakery etc), there was a lack of ability to add authenticity to the product that is displayed.”
The company started by reimagining deli cabinets, focusing on adding warmth and authenticity to displays. “We had to add authenticity so that people could take something home and put it on the table in front of their family. We moved away from white and stainless steel and we added wood, black details, and quality lighting to the display. When you look at it, you now don’t see a cabinet, you see the food. Our mantra has always been about making the food the hero – that is where it started.”
IMS didn’t stop there. Drawing inspiration from international designs, particularly from Spain and Argentina, the company innovated across multiple fresh food categories.
“We then started to look at how we could make the bakery feel like an authentic corner bakery store. We then went to the cold deli and took a lot of cues from Spain and how cold meats are displayed there. Eventually, we started looking at sushi and cheese and butchery.”
The focus on butchery was particularly challenging. South African supermarket butchery counters often lack the trust and community feel of standalone street corner butcheries. IMS set out to change that. “We worked closely with Shoprite Checkers and it is incredible to work with a partner that is so forward thinking and willing to try things. We implemented ideas including a butcher’s block in the cabinet lineup (to enhance the authentic butchery feel), bringing large displays to the front for the customer, and adding wet and dry aged cabinets in the customer’s view.”
INNOVATION IN ACTION
About a decade ago, IMS played was a strategic partner in launching Checkers’ FreshX concept, aimed at delivering a premium customer experience. Laubscher reflects on the impact: “This has been amazing for the brand and has helped Checkers to deliver exceptional results over the years. But it has been vital to not become boring and we must create pockets of vitality in each store.”
IMS continues to innovate with imaginative designs that resonate with families and shoppers of all ages.
“Our strategy has been about creating brand loyalty from a young age, and we have implemented really fun ideas across a number of stores. For example, we bought the prepared children’s meal from the top shelf — aimed at parents — to the bottom so children can be a part of the decision. It’s about being memorable for all of the family.
“We also helped with the rollout of VW Combi display cases where you have the front and back of a VW van inside the store, looking like it has just driven in from the farmer’s market, and all of the fresh produce displayed centrally to create a visual cue of freshness.
Such creativity is paired with a strong commitment to local manufacturing and supply chain agility. While much of the product range is imported from Argentina, IMS now boasts significant local production capabilities. “That whole product range was imported from Argentina but we wanted to manufacture locally. We now have full sheet metal capabilities and, where we started on fixtures and fittings, we are now able to manufacture some cabinets locally.”
This localisation not only improves turnaround times but also provides cost efficiencies, especially for smaller stores such as OK Foods and the expanding OK Express convenience format.
“When looking at a Shoprite Checkers store, that is 60-70 cabinets per store, and that is a big import so is not always realistic for smaller stores with five or six cabinets. But with the smaller, convenience stores — such as OK Foods which is part of the Shoprite Checkers group — that is where we can provide faster turnaround and better pricing for smaller orders that are manufactured in Cape Town. OK Express is now rolling out across gas stations – smaller stores with coffee and convenience, and that is perfect for our local production.”
PARTNERSHIP AND FOCUS
IMS’s relationship with Shoprite Checkers is central to its strategy. Laubscher is clear on this focus: “We are very happy to be a strategic partner to Shoprite Checkers and that is our laser focus for the foreseeable future.” The company has grown steadily from humble beginnings — and relationships have always been key to this expansion.
“With just two of us in South Africa… I was working from a flat with a few spare parts in a garage which I had to drive to deliver.” Today, IMS South Africa employs 55 people and leverages a “fully automated system that can send spare parts to anywhere in the country the next day.”
Strong and lasting partnerships are essential but challenging to maintain acknowledges Laubscher: “We manufacture a lot in house, but we do buy in some components such as glass and specialist wooden components from trusted local suppliers.” Balancing innovation, cost, and reliability remains an ongoing effort, critical to maintaining their competitive edge.
As South African retail evolves, IMS South Africa is determined to keep pace and continue helping its clients stand out. With fresh ideas, a focus on authentic customer experience, and local manufacturing strength, IMS is well positioned to support Shoprite Checkers’ ambitions and meet emerging competition head-on.
“We want to service them while creating an environment that still delights customers,” Laubscher concludes, signalling IMS’s commitment to innovation, quality, and partnership in the years ahead.