Rooted in meat and chicken - Supermarket.co.za

Township storewatch
usually pop by daily to top up on essentials.
The afternoons are the busiest times instore
as people stop by on their way home
from work and school. Weekends also get
busy and Jardim says the store has a “good
value basket”.
Not a franchise group
Roots currently has 34 stores, eight of which
are corporately owned. Ferreira is quick to
point out that Roots is a buying – rather
than a franchise – group and says that the
members are closely involved in the running
of the entire operation.
For example, each month, one store
gets to choose which items will go on
promotion for the next month in the
national campaign. Members pay a fixed
fee (not based on turnover) in order be part
of the national promotions, as well as to
benefit from the low pricing attained. Each
week, a recommended price list is sent out
to the stores that members can adhere to
or tweak, according to their local market
requirements.
Importance of training
Area managers keep a close eye on stores
to make sure that everything – from
product quality, pricing to the overall store
experience – is kept up to standard. “We
Despite rising operating costs and increased
competition, store owner, John Jardim is
confident about the store’s successful recipe of
a convenient and value-for-money offering.
have to police them to ensure that they run
the Roots brand well and don’t destroy their
own business,” says Ferreira. Besides keeping
an eye on the operation, the area managers
are also very involved in the ongoing
training of staff.
Training members to become good
retailers is something close to Ferreira’s
heart as he has been in the retail business
since age 12. “We’re like a school here. We
According to staff members, Jerry Ngoepe and
Thabo More, Mzanzi wors is the most popular
in the Roots range of wors with customers at
the Protea Gardens store.
try and make great retailers because they
are few and far between at the moment!”
“To be a retailer, you have to have passion
– money can’t be the main reason. You
also need to be committed to hard work
– 12 hours a day, seven days a week!” says
Ferreira. Ferreira says that if a member is
found not to be protecting the brand and
running his store efficiently, he will be given
six months to improve things or else he
must leave the group. In the same way, a
member can choose to leave the group after
a six-month notice period. “Performance
is not just based on sales or turnover, it’s
about paying suppliers, producing good
quality products, honesty and customer care
– the most important part of the business,”
he says. In addition, if the member is not
selling between 70-80% of meat and
chicken, Roots management will get the
member to refocus on the what the brand is
based upon. “Our members must be proud
to belong to the group and reflect that in
their stores,” he adds.
Groceries may be a small part of the business, but Roots joined ICC to benefit
from bulk buying, the savings of which are then passed onto customers.
Meat market
The core of the business is meat and poultry
and each stores makes up to 80% of its
sales in the various cuts and by-products of
meat and chicken. “Meat and chicken are
our speciality – it’s what drives our business
and our customers say we offer a range
18 wholesalebusiness Issue 2, 2012