Amka Products was established by the Kalla family as a small trading operation near Pretoria in the 1950’s. From the outset Amka was focussed on the unique needs and opportunities inherent to Africa’s emerging markets. Today Amka is a major manufacturing and marketing enterprise, with specialised expertise in Africa. Amka Products was established by the Kalla family as a small trading operation near Pretoria in the 1950s. From the outset Amka has been focussed on the unique needs and opportunities inherent to Africa’s emerging markets. Today Amka is a major manufacturing and marketing enterprise, with specialised expertise in Africa.

As an independent family-owned business the Kit Kat Group has seen great evolution over the past 50 years and even more in the most recent decade.  Founded in 1953 by members of the Gani family, this independent wholesaler and retailer started off as the Kit Kat Café and Restaurant. Over the years, the well-established business grew in success as the café was converted into a self-service supermarket in 1973 and is still currently growing from strength to strength. Kit Kat has been able to successfully expand their store footprint around Gauteng Allowing for the expansion of their brand and stores into Limpopo through their Kit Kat Express model at the end of 2021.  Kit Kat is amongst the very few independent wholesalers to have an effective and functioning fully operating online store that caters to all shoppers.  An interesting development resulted in Kit Kat partnering with Food Lovers Market to drive growth and success with the Fresh division of their business. With its focus on partnerships, building strong relationships with suppliers and customers as well as its investment in ecommerce, data and technology, The Kit Kat Group is well positioned to continue with its growth path for the foreseeable future.

McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in South Africa in November 1995 making this year our 30th year of legacy. Today, we operate over 400 restaurants in all nine of South Africa’s provinces and serve an estimated 8 million customers a month.

The Pick n Pay Group is a leading South African retail business in the fast-moving consumer goods industry. Founded in 1967, Pick n Pay has built a strong legacy of serving customers with quality, affordability, and service excellence. Headquartered in Cape Town and listed on the JSE, the Group operates through two core brands: Pick n Pay - a multi-format retail brand serving middle to higher-income customers; and Boxer a limited-range, discount supermarket chain focused on the lower income market, in which the Group holds a 65.6% majority stake. With over 2,000 stores across South Africa and several other southern African countries, the Group’s retail formats include 

hypermarkets, supermarkets, clothing stores, liquor outlets, a growing online platform, and Pick n Pay asap! its on-demand delivery service. Through its customer-first strategy, strong private label offering, and continued investment in price and innovation, the Pick n Pay Group is committed to delivering unbeatable value, improving access to essential goods, and supporting economic inclusion 

across the region.

 

We are a business to business media platform that was founded in 1955 as the “General Dealer” magazine. We are a trusted source of retail information and have been informing and uplifting the supermarket retail industry with comprehensive, insightful and useful articles that have been researched by experienced journalists. We deep dive into all subjects that are associated with the retail industry.  

As one of Africa’s largest and most influential manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), Tiger Brands stands at the forefront of the industry. Our core expertise lies in the creation, marketing, and distribution of trusted food and beverage brands that are integral to daily life.

With a portfolio that resonates across every meal occasion, we are strategically positioned for sustained growth. In addition to our strong presence in food and beverages, we are expanding our footprint in the home and personal care sectors, reinforcing our commitment to serving communities across Africa.

At Tiger Brands, our purpose is clear: to nourish and nurture lives, enriching the everyday experiences of millions.

The Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training (W&RSETA) is the skills authority in the South Africa’s fourth biggest economic contributor – wholesale and retail. Established in 2000, the W&RSETA facilitates education and training through implementation of learning programmes, disbursement of skills development grants, quality assurance of learning, SMME and entrepreneurship support and enabling access to higher education through bursaries.

Vision

To be the leader in skills development in the country.

Mission

To develop a skilled, capable, competent and professional workforce to transform the Wholesale and Retail Sector.

Abraham Nelson is the Executive head of the Consumer Goods Crime Risk Initiative (CGCRI)at the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA). He is a long serving member of the South African Police Service where he worked for a period of 30 years until 2016. He held the rank of Brigadier at Crime Intelligence Head Office and was the Section Head: Multi- Dimensional Organised Crime. During his tenure at SAPS, he managed and participated in National and trans- national investigations and operations in collaboration with relevant local and foreign law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The core of the investigations and operations were focused on organized crime. As the Section Head he also travelled abroad extensively representing the SAPS on various Interpol forums. His current role at the CGCSA is based on pro-actively preventing the occurrence of crime threats within the industry. This is achieved by doing the following: Crime incident Information management and analysis, Lobbying and facilitating cooperation with law enforcement and all other relevant stakeholders, Cross industry engagements and the developments of SOPs and sharing of best practices for the entire retail value chain.

Ms. Amanda Lotheringen joined the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) in 1993 and is currently Senior Manager, Copyright and IP Enforcement, at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). In 1999 she took responsibility for the implementation of the Counterfeit Goods Act, No. 37 of 1997, and oversaw the declaration of the first counterfeit goods depot. She was also involved in the training of law enforcement officials across government departments to implement that Act. Ms. Lotheringen was nominated as Vice-Chair at the first meeting of WIPO’s Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE) held in Geneva in 2003 and also chaired the ACE in 2015 and 2016. She holds a degree from the Rand Afrikaans University in Development Economics and an Honors degree in Economics.

Dr Alastair Tempest is the CEO of Ecommerce Forum Africa (EFA) since 2020 and CEO of the Ecommerce Forum South Africa (EFSA) since 2016. Previously, he has served as the President of the South African Institute of Interactive Marketing and COO of the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa. And in Europe, he was the Director-General of the European Advertising Tripartite, a Director at Reader’s Digest, and Director-General of Federation of European Direct & Interactive Marketing in Brussels, Belgium. He chaired the Self-Regulatory and Consumer Protection working party of the Global Dialogue on Ecommerce and was a member of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Marketing and Telecoms commissions for over 30 years. As CEO of the EFSA he sits as Business Unity SA’s digital trade expert on the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac)’s committee on Logistics and Trade. He wrote four Opinion Papers for the South African Institute of International Affairs in 2020-21, on ecommerce as a driving force for the AfCFTA; the digital disruption and the AfCFTA; Regional Value Chains and the AfCFTA; and Driving digital inclusion within the AfCFTA. These papers are available on the SAIIA website (https://saiia.org.za/). The three latest were co-authored. He contributed to E-Commerce in South Africa (2023, www.Juta.co.za ). He has a BA (Hons) from the University of York, the UK, an MA from the College of Europe, Bruges and read for his PhD at the University of Ghent.

Dr Phillip Oosthuizen obtained his BSc Animal Science and Agricultural Economics degree from the University of the Free State and furthered his studies in Agricultural Economics to receive his Honours, Master and Doctoral degrees. His MSc title, ‘’The profit-maximising feeding period for different beef breeds,’’ and PhD title, ‘’The effect of growth promoters on beef profitability, quality, and consumer preferences: a value chain approach’’. Dr Phillip Oosthuizen started his career as an Agriculture Business Banker with Nedbank, whereafter he headed the Sernick Group’s Research and Innovation division. His work focused on the Red Meat value chain, including primary cattle production (stud & commercial), Phase-C cattle testing, feedlot, feed factory, abattoir, retail, exports, technology development, emerging farmer development, and public relation. He has a unique combination of scientific knowledge and practical experience throughout the red meat value chain through his exposure within the diversified Sernick value chain, feedlot and meat quality research and implementation and being a farmer himself.

Qualifications : BComm (RAU), BComm Hons (Unisa), CA (SA), MBA (Wits) After graduating with a BComm from RAU in 1985, Johann spent 4 years with Ernst & Young as Senior Manager while completing his honours through Unisa in 1986 and his CA in 1987. He spent the next three years with SARS as Assistant Director of Operational Research. He completed his MBA through Wits before joining East Rand Plastics (Pty) Ltd in 1992 which later became Astrapak. As Financial Director of Astrapak he was responsible for the company’s listing on the JSE in 1997. He became joint MD of the Film Division of Astrapak before accepting an offer as Chief Financial Officer from the Clover Group in October 2000. He became Chief Executive in 2006, where he faced a huge challenge to convert Clover the co-op to a commercial orientated entity. After the co-op members approved the restructuring proposal the company was listed on the JSE in 2010. His main task was to convert the culture from managing costs to generate profits by investing behind profitable brands and products, and using technology to support the business. For all his efforts, Johann won the EY World Entrepreneur Award for Southern Africa 2015 for the Master Category and represented South Africa at the EY World Entrepreneur Award in Monte Carlo in June 2016. An accolade of the most Reputable Company in South Africa three years in a row says a lot about the integrity Johann demands from the business.

Mosibudi Makgato is the co-owner of Yamama Gemmer, a South African crafted traditional ginger beer. She holds a degree in Marketing Communications from the University of Johannesburg and has experience across diverse industries, including financial and government sectors. Driven by a desire to contribute more to the communities that have shaped her, she led community-based projects during her tenure in the corporate sphere. Currently, Mosibudi is a social entrepreneur, artisan, and crafter. Along with a business partner, she has succeeded in catering to the nostalgic demand for traditional drinks. Achievements under Yamama Gemmer: Participated in various international food shows, including: Homemade Contemporary Fair 2016, Johannesburg. DSTV International Food and Music Festival (2016 - ongoing), Johannesburg. Good Food and Wine 2017, Cape Town & Johannesburg. Japan Foodex 2018, Tokyo, Japan. Paris SIAL 2018, Paris, France. Miami Food and Wine Show 2018, Miami, USA. New York Food and Wine Show 2019, New York, USA. Nigerian Food & Beverage Festival 2019, Nigeria. Yamama Gemmer was one of the four women-owned companies chosen to participate in the 2019 Women in Beverages, SAB Lerumo program. Mosibudi was recognized as the Woman in Beverage for 2019. Additionally, Yamama Gemmer was mentioned in Forbes Africa 2019 and several other national publications. In 2023, Yamama Gemmer was listed with Food Lover’s Market after securing 3rd position at the FLM Seed of Change Supplier Development Programme.

An experienced Research & Strategic Planning Specialist with over 12 years of experience in skills development, policy research, and innovation. Currently serving as Senior Manager: Research and Strategic Planning at W&RSETA, leading research initiatives that support sector transformation, digital disruption, and workforce development. Holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from UNISA and is a PhD Candidate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, focusing on Management and Public Governance in the digital age. Passionate about integrating research insights into actionable strategies to enhance employability, entrepreneurship, and sector transformation. Expertise includes strategic planning, policy formulation, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven decision-making to address emerging skills needs in the wholesale and retail sector. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mxolisi-maphakela-mpa-0b2bb371/

Neo is a dynamic and accomplished Corporate Affairs, Communications, Legal & Regulatory Affairs Specialist with over 25 years’ experience in the public and private sectors, having worked for highly regulated South African-based multinational and national corporations in the Healthcare, Information Technology, Broadcasting, Print Media, Retail and Manufacturing, and Government sectors. She has held various senior positions in these diverse industries and is currently employed to champion for the sustainability and viability of the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry through strong networks and relationships with multi-stakeholders requiring negotiation, collaboration, influencing and facilitation, for positive results. A major achievement was her appointment to lead the communications team that was responsible for planning and executing the funeral of President Nelson Mandela. Neo holds a LLB (Hons) degree from the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and a Post Graduate Diploma (MAP) in Management and Leadership from Wits Business School.

Roberto Olivares is a Senior Project Manager at Woolworths Group, responsible for leading projects that create value for the business. He is currently driving the implementation and enablement of 2D Barcodes in collaboration with Brand Owners, Solution Providers and Industry to advance the use of this technology in Australia and New Zealand retail. Prior to this he led introduction of DataBars in Loose Produce in Australia. Roberto focuses on simplicity, digital capabilities, and industry standards to redefine processes and gain a competitive edge in evolving markets. He actively explores digitisation trends to mitigate stock loss and initiatives to enhance traceability and sustainability for business solutions. He has been at Woolworths Group for 17 years delivering a range of projects from Supply Chain to Supermarkets Operations. Roberto has an engineering background in warehousing and distribution, manufacturing and technical support.

After studying electrical engineering with a focus on automation technology, he worked in the automotive industry at General Motors. Since 2007 he is active for the WIPOTEC Group, a global market leader in Track & Trace systems for marking and labeling products in various industries. As a Project and Business Development Manager for many years Volker rolled-out several hundred such serialization projects. Since 2011 he is globally responsible as the Director Track & Trace for the relevant product division at WIPOTEC.

Yaeesh Moosa is the Head of Marketplace at takealot.com, South Africa's leading online retailer. With a foundational background in engineering and industrial process design, Yaeesh has specialized in eCommerce, particularly in marketplace dynamics, for the past 5 years. His focus on developing exceptional seller experiences has been pivotal in enhancing the platform's user engagement and satisfaction. Yaeesh's unique blend of technical expertise and digital commerce acumen makes him a valuable contributor to discussions on the evolution of online marketplaces.

Zinhle Tyikwe is the Chief Executive Officer of GS1 South Africa | The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA). Prior to her appointment as CEO, Zinhle was the Executive in charge of Human Resources and Communications and has been with the GS1 SA | CGCSA since 2013. She holds two honours degrees in Human Resources Development and Industrial Psychology and Organisational Development, all from UNISA, as well as an MBA from the University of South Wales. Zinhle has more than 20 years of human resources and strategic management experience. She also currently serves on the boards of the Wholesale and Retail SETA, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Drinks Federation of SA. She’s a mom to Wongalamasengwa and Zimkitha. She’s passionate about family, unearthing potential and development and seeing growth in people.

Consumer Goods Medical Scheme (CGMS) – formerly known as the Tiger Brands Medical Scheme (TBMS). The name change is part of our mission to offer our unique services and benefits to all employees in the Consumer Goods Industry, as we have developed a passion for serving this sector. We are embracing a new name that better reflects our unwavering commitment to delivering innovative, industry-specific healthcare solutions designed for you.

While our name has changed, our dedication to offering affordable and comprehensive private healthcare cover remains the same.

Our business is focused on the manufacturing and commercialization of herbal beverage products of the highest quality and provides employment opportunities to previously disadvantaged individuals. The principle of the business is manufacturing herbal-infused products rich in essential nutrients such as vitamin C, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and other antioxidants such as quercetin. The product differs from its competitors in that plant-based extracts from Moringa plant leaves is infused in the formulation to give the necessary essential nutrients, thus also supporting Moringa farmers and growers who are black farmers.

First Light Import and Export is a 100% black female-owned Level 1 B-BBEE company founded in 2016 by Syndiah James. The business specializes in the supply and distribution of hygiene products, including its signature brand, Queens sanitary pads. Committed to social impact and empowerment, First Light partners with corporates, NGOs, and government initiatives to drive sustainable change. The company also engages in innovative recycling and export programs. With a strong foundation in ethical trade, First Light continues to grow as a trusted supplier across sectors.

Imagine a drink that fuels your mind, body, and spirit—without the crash. Meet HOLY, the premiumholistic beverage designed to give you caffeine-free energy, laser-sharp focus, immune support, andultimate recovery—all in one bottle.Founded in July 2022 by Dr. Joshua Jordan, a dedicated medical professional, HOLY was born out of a need for an energy boost without the jitters, heart palpitations, or sugar crashes. Long hospitalshifts, gruelling gym sessions, and post-night-out recovery all demanded a smarter solution. So, Joshua formulated a drink packed with essential nutrients, designed for high achievers who want to push limits—without compromising health

Moritelo is a proudly South African skincare brand dedicated to harnessing the power of locally sourced raw materials to create high-quality skincare solutions. Our products are specifically designed to address common skin concerns, such as acne-prone skin, pigmentation, and uneven skin tone. We ensure the highest standards by manufacturing our products under rigorous quality management systems that comply with SANAS and SABS regulations.
Targeting African men and women aged 14 to 34 years, Moritelo proudly holds a Level 1 BBBEE contribution status and is a certified Proudly South African company. Our value proposition is grounded in efficacy focused on solving specific skin challenges through expert research and development.

As one of Africa’s largest and most influential manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), Tiger Brands stands at the forefront of the industry. Our core expertise lies in the creation, marketing, and distribution of trusted food and beverage brands that are integral to daily life.

With a portfolio that resonates across every meal occasion, we are strategically positioned for sustained growth. In addition to our strong presence in food and beverages, we are expanding our footprint in the home and personal care sectors, reinforcing our commitment to serving communities across Africa.

At Tiger Brands, our purpose is clear: to nourish and nurture lives, enriching the everyday experiences of millions.

TracePack, a division of Mitas Corporation, leads the industry in marking, identification, traceability, automation, and authentication systems. Specialising in FMCG, packaging, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors, we offer a range of solutions, including inkjet and laser coding, large-character printing, and print-and-apply labelling. Our advanced rejection and quality control systems, such as x-ray inspection, metal detectors, and checkweighers, are designed for efficiency, low maintenance, and seamless integration into production lines. Additionally, our in-house automation expertise allows us to manufacture custom conveyors and integrate marking, coding, and labelling systems with ease.

 

With a strong focus on quality and innovation, TracePack partners with global leaders in labelling, laser, and printing technology provide state-of-the-art solutions. Our machine vision inspection systems enhance quality control, ensuring accurate identification and improved production efficiency. We also offer cloud-based production monitoring solutions to optimise processes and provide real-time insights. Whether you need to mark, code, label, track, or verify, TracePack delivers tailored, high-performance solutions to enhance efficiency, ensure compliance, and safeguard your brand.