Massmart announced on Thursday the location of SA’s first Walmart store.
Massmart has appointed Onicca Mothapo, with 20 years of experience in retail, to be the store manager of South Africa’s first Walmart store.
Speculations were previously made by many that the first store would be located at Fourways Mall, Gauteng, due to Walmart’s signage being noticed at the space formerly occupied by Game store.
However, Massmart has put the speculation to bed with the announcement on Thursday that the first store will open at Clearwater Mall in Roodepoort.
Massmart also owns brands like Makro, Game, and Builders Warehouse, which have been present and popular in the country for many years.
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First Walmart store to employ 80 people
The Walmart Clearwater store will employ more than 80 people, led by Mothapo. According to her LinkedIn, she is a Builders Warehouse store manager and holds an Advanced Diploma in Retail Management with Distinction from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business.
Massmart has described her as “renowned within the organisation for her operational excellence”.
“Opening this store is deeply personal. From where I began my career as a store cashier, I could never have imagined that I would one day grow to become store manager for the first Walmart store in Africa,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to opening the doors to a customer-focused store that offers exceptional service, Walmart’s Every Day Low Prices, and that cares deeply about our local community.”
Walmart Clearwater store to offer local products
Walmart, which originated in the United States, is one of the largest retail companies in the world and has made a commitment to include local offerings alongside global products.
“Reflecting Walmart’s commitment to local community investment, the store’s product offering is largely sourced from local suppliers, complemented by a curated selection of global brands,” said Massmart.
It is not clear how different the Walmart proposition will be from its existing Makro one. When announcing the news in September, Massmart said Walmart will offer “fresh groceries, household essentials, apparel and technology” alongside what will presumably be a core general merchandise offering.”
Moneyweb reported that a push into the fresh grocery space is ambitious. Makro’s current fresh offering is underwhelming, and a plan launched a decade ago to aggressively enter the fresh food space with Game ultimately failed.
It is unclear whether Massmart plans to convert underperforming Game stores into Walmart stores, as the new Clearwater store is set to operate at the former Game store’s location.
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Products not found in SA
Mark Scott, Massmart’s merchandise vice president, highlighted that the store will offer global brands that are not commonly found in South Africa.
“A key objective has been to broaden product choices in a way that creates a sense of discovery, where shoppers are pleasantly surprised by options that bring interest and excitement to their everyday shopping experience,” he added.
“Our sweets and confectionery aisle features international favourites such as Mike & Ike, Reese’s, Warheads, and Nerds, brands not commonly found in South Africa.”
Everyday low prices
One thing Walmart prides itself on is offering a variety of products at low prices. However, with the new store, the US-based brand promises to bring “a world-class shopping experience.”
The brand said its objective is to ensure that whenever customers do their weekly shopping with Walmart, they always save money.
Miles van Rensburg, Massmart president and CEO, said those in the surrounding areas to Walmart Clearwater can do their shopping online and in-store.
“We’re thrilled to bring customers to the West Rand Walmart’s promise of Every Day Low Prices, together with a world-class assortment and shopping experience, both in-store and online. It’s an experience that blends the best of global retail with a proudly local touch.”