South African discount retailer Pepkor on ​Tuesday reported a 10.3% rise in half-year earnings, ‌buoyed by acquisitions, growth in its core PEP clothing brand and demand for financial services.

Eight out of 10 prepaid handsets in South Africa are sold through Pepkor's retail channels – and that number is rising.

Pepkor has revealed that eight in 10 prepaid cellular handsets sold in South Africa are now through its stores.

Pepkor has received regulatory approval to establish a banking presence as it expands beyond retail and basic financial services.

http://reut.rs/4g2FdGz

Die Pepkor-Aktie erhält am 22.09.2026 gemeinsam mit Sanlam die Zulassung für Transaktionsbanking. Der Schritt erweitert den Finanzdienstleistungsansatz des Konzerns.

Pepkor Holdings reported a 9.8% increase in group sales for the 10 months ended 31 July 2026, with sales excluding acquisitions rising 5.2% as the retailer gained market share in a subdued Southern African consumer environment.

Staff Writer Pepkor Holdings reported a 9.8% increase in group sales for the 10 months ended 31 July 2026, with sales excluding acquisitions rising 5.2% as the retailer gained market share in a subdued Southern African consumer environment. On a two-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) basis, sales excluding acquisitions increased 7.1%, while like-for-like sales rose 3.1%, with a two-year CAGR of 4.9%. Pepkor said the Southern African consumer environment remained subdued, with Retailers Liaison Committee data indicating that sales were moving outside the RLC network and that customers were allocating a smaller share of their spending to clothing, footwear, home and beauty products. Promotional activity also remained elevated across the market. Despite these conditions, Pepkor said it outperformed the market and gained market share based on July 2026 RLC data, adjusted for acquisitions and brand closures. Performance was led by PEP, the group’s discount retailer. Ackermans was affected by negative growth in lay-bys and low levels of recommended selling price inflation. Pepkor said a number of merchandise initiatives had been implemented to improve product execution at Ackermans. Speciality performed well relative to the market, while the newly acquired Legit business exceeded expectations. The home furnishings and consumer electronics market remained challenging, although Pepkor’s Lifestyle business delivered a resilient performance, including the non-South African component of the newly acquired OK Furniture business. Avenida continued to record strong trading momentum, while PEP Africa also performed well. The group’s online sales increased 38.9%, including an 81.9% increase in the CGM segment. The +more customer value platform had more than 18 million members by the end of July, strengthening Pepkor’s digital customer reach. Pepkor expanded its retail footprint to 6677 stores during the period, with 195 new stores opened and a further 541 stores added through acquisitions. In financial services, FoneYam’s active cellular device rental customers increased 14.7% to 2.6 million during the period. Pepkor said customer take-up of a second FoneYam rental after completing the first continued to exceed expectations, extending the customer lifetime value of the product by an additional 18 months. Abacus Insurance continued to expand embedded and bundled insurance offerings across Pepkor’s brands. Pepkor said credit extension through Capfin had been curtailed, with plans to reduce the Capfin loan book and focus future credit growth through PlusB, its banking proposition. PlusB is expected to launch in the second half of the 2027 financial year, subject to regulatory approvals. The total build cost remains on track to be below R1 billion. Pepkor’s Flash business increased total throughput by 19% to R58.4 billion, driven by growth in aggregation and voucher sales. The group also said its previously announced transaction to merge Flash and Shop2Shop into FintechCo would expand its participation in the informal market and diversify its earnings. The combined business is expected to create a fintech platform serving traders across the informal market, with annual throughput of more than R200 billion.

A two-day Manufacturing Summit hosted by Pepkor Holdings in collaboration with the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) is underway in Windhoek. Pepkor is a South African investment and holding company focused on discount and value consumer retail and fintech markets. Held under the theme "Strengthening capability: connecting Namibia's manufacturing ecosystem, enabling growth," the event brings together local manufacturers, entrepreneurs, retailers, and industry stakeholders to explore opportunities for supplier development and market access. CEO of Pepkor Speciality Brands, Tyrone Vieira, emphasised that the summit forms part of its broader localisation commitment following its acquisition of several retail businesses, including Legit, Style, and Swagger. Vieira stated that the summit is intended to strengthen local manufacturing capacity and create meaningful opportunities for Namibian businesses to participate in Pepkor's supply chain. “We are committed to purchasing a defined value from the Namibian-owned local manufacturers and suppliers. We also have a commitment to a local supplier development programme aimed at upskilling the local suppliers and specifically aimed at SMEs owned by Namibians in the clothing, footwear, and homeware segments.” CEO of NaCC, Vitalis Ndalikokule said the initiative aims to strengthen Namibia's manufacturing sector and create sustainable pathways for local businesses to enter major retail supply chains. “This summit is designed to be practical. It aims to improve productivity, operational performance, and quality standards, making Namibian manufacturers competitive enough to meet the demand of a large retail network. The engagement(s) over the coming days between manufacturers, retailers, government institutions, and industry players are crucial for creating a vibrant and self-sustaining local manufacturing ecosystem.” The summit will give local manufacturers access to Pepkor buyers and industry experts. Local businesses are subsequently invited to submit expressions of interest, with the deadline set for 30 September 2026. For local entrepreneurs, the initiative is seen as an opportunity to expand their markets and potentially access regional and international retail networks. Founder of the Northern Interiors and Upholstery Wendy Egunda expressed her appreciation. “We are really grateful for a summit like this, organised for us this morning, because it brings local entrepreneurs together. It also gives us exposure and opportunities to market our products internationally, which is a great thing. We are truly grateful for it.” The summit concludes tomorrow, with organisers hoping to identify and develop commercially viable Namibian suppliers in sectors including clothing, textiles, footwear, leather, and furniture.

Pepkor is the largest retail store operator in Southern Africa by store footprint, in partnership with the Namibian Competition Commission, will participate in a first-of-its-kind two-day manufacturing conference designed to strengthen local capability, first-of-its-kind two-day manufacturing conference. The conference will focus on Namibian manufacturers, entrepreneurs, brands and ecosystem partners from the apparel, furniture and lifestyle sectors build meaningful industry connections and unlock future growth opportunities. Tyrone Vieira , CEO of Pepkor and Chief Executive Officer of the Namibian Competition Commission, Vitalis Ndalikokule, shared more.