SA's biggest retailer is on a roll, planning to invest heavily in its supply chain, store refurbishments and ecommerce.

Africa's largest retailer, Shoprite-Checkers, has enjoyed double-digit sales growth over the past year, despite rolling blackouts and other economic headwinds, while increasing its value proposition to customers and putting more than R13.5-billion back in their pockets at the till point.

Its annual results, for the year ended 2 July, reveal that sales were up by 17% or R26-billion on the previous year to R215-billion.

For the new financial year, the retail giant has allocated as much as R8.5-billion to capital expenditure to increase capacity in its supply chain, refurbish and expand existing stores, and fund the group's digital commerce and technology-related initiatives.

The group plans to add a further 200,000 square metres in new distribution centres over the next two years to support its 2,121 supermarkets in South Africa, with 314 new stores planned.

In the year under review, the group in SA opened 340 stores and integrated 94 stores and a meat store acquired from Massmart for R662-million. Those were remodelled as Shoprites (51), Usave (one), and Shoprite Liquor (42). Two of these Massmart stores have not yet begun trading due to a liquor licence transfer issue.

About 4,480 positions in the former Massmart stores were retained, bringing Shoprite's...