SUPPLIER

Benefits

We have established processes and systems in place to benefit our suppliers

How you’ll benefit as a supplier

RSNL’s commitment to innovation has led us to become Africa’s largest retailer. In many ways, we are ahead of the retail game, yet we recognize that our success is inextricably related to our suppliers. Stronger suppliers ensure a more stable supply chain, resulting in cost savings we can pass on to our customers. This knowledge, combined with our aim to create long-term partnerships with our suppliers, incentivizes us to use the resources at our disposal to support our suppliers and has resulted in numerous success stories thus far.

As a RSNL supplier, you can expect support in the following ways:

As a prominent retailer in Nigeria, RSNL has established processes and systems in place that benefit our suppliers. These include:

Quality Assurance

The aim of our quality assurance department is to:

  1. Manage and oversee the quality of suppliers’ products and services, while also giving the supplier food safety input.
  2. Ensure safe food and non-food production in both RSA and non-RSA countries.
  3. Identify and minimize risks by ensuring that suppliers implement proper controls, as evidenced by an evaluation of their food safety and quality management systems.
  4. Reduce the liability and risk of products provided into the Shoprite Group’s supply chain while also protecting the brand.
  5. Provide a consistent national and international strategy for the manufacture of safe food in order to assure consumer protection and confidence, or “due diligence” in relation to the Consumer Protection Act.

Packaging

We collaborate with our suppliers to improve packaging by identifying potential flaws that could cause product damage, taking into account design and material to increase shelf life and thus reduce food waste, increasing the recyclability of packaging materials, and emphasizing the use of recycled materials. One of the most significant changes we’ve done to reduce our environmental effect is the transition to sustainable packaging.

Growing Programmes and Technical Expertise on Fresh Produce

Freshmark purchases locally whenever feasible and is expanding its producer assistance programs. This allows farmers to receive financing for their farming operations and plan their planting and growing seasons. Freshmark also distributes technological expertise for the benefit of farmers and producers and actively assists its suppliers with any challenges they face.

Food Waste

Food waste is receiving a lot of attention globally, and we hope to reduce food waste in our value chain through our collaborative approach. To that end, we collaborate with our suppliers on joint programs to identify new ways to reduce food waste. We collaborated on the country’s first Food Waste Voluntary Agreement with industry stakeholders and the Consumer Goods Council of Nigeria.

Besides benefitting from the processes and systems already in place. As a supplier, you can expect benefits like

Saving on Packaging Materials

We want to reuse and recycle our packaging material by transitioning to reusable packing crates throughout our supply chain and acquiring more sustainable packaging solutions for our private label items.

We’ve also adopted a circular economy strategy that encourages as much reuse and recycling as possible while accounting for each product’s economic, social, and environmental impact. To that end, all plastic trash from our stores and DCs is turned into pellets, which are then used to produce our shopping bags. We also recycle cardboard through our DCs and have worked with other merchants to repurpose cardboard. Our trolleys and shopping baskets are constructed from at least 35% recycled plastic from local sources. This circular concept not only reduces environmental harm but also creates jobs in the recycling sector.

Food Safety Services For Micro, Small and Medium Suppliers

Our food technologists provide assistance and advice to all micro, small, and medium-sized suppliers on legal compliance, food safety, and quality assurance standards. This means our suppliers save money while remaining compliant.

Quality assurance requirements

Food business operators (especially SMEs) bear numerous duties in terms of the products and professional services they include in their operations. Meeting expectations for critical factors such as:

  1. Laws, rules, and standards.
  2. System of quality and food safety.
  3. Conditions for ensuring food safety.
  4. Contractual terms.
  5. Supply contracts

Saving on distribution

Our centralized distribution system provides a more efficient route to market than the typical “direct-to-store” option, which requires supplier cars to drive extra miles and spend time between individual store deliveries. Our investment in central distribution has saved our suppliers billions of rands in recent years, the majority of which would have been spent on fuel alone.

Suppliers may focus on product development and production improvements instead of tying up resources in warehousing and trucks that provide little financial return, thanks to our centralized distribution strategy.