In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, demand is strong, but access remains uneven. For families in smaller towns and rural villages, shopping can mean travelling hours to the nearest store, with transport costs that often exceed the value of what they’re buying.

PEP Africa, a division of the Pepkor Group, recognised this gap early. Operating across Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Angola, the team has reimagined how retail can function in environments where infrastructure is developing, but customer needs are immediate. Their approach is grounded in action, not abstraction, designing practical ways to extend retail reach and relevance through mobility, local partnerships and resourcefulness.

Taking the store to the people
During COVID, when movement was restricted and operations disrupted, store managers in PEP Africa began notifying customers via WhatsApp when they would be in the area. They packed stock from nearby stores, drove out to communities and sold essential items in makeshift setups. That grassroots solution sparked an idea, which evolved into a model.

Today, PEP Africa operates a structured mobile pop-up store model that brings retail directly to under-served areas. Each weekend, teams travel up to 500 kilometres to set up branded gazebos, trade with mobile tills and deliver a full shopping experience in towns where no formal PEP store exists.

In FY24, the team activated 50 pop-up stores across its footprint and are targeting 100 for FY25. These activations are not events, they are revenue-generating retail touchpoints, aligned with local calendars, planned in advance and integrated into store-level operations. They allow the business to scale with agility, deepen customer connection and unlock new markets without the timeline or cost of permanent infrastructure.

Each pop-up reflects a mindset that defines PEP Africa: be present, be responsive and serve with intention.

Building delivery through local transport
To ensure that products reach both stores and pop-up points efficiently, PEP Africa has developed a logistics model that supports local delivery and economic participation.

Cross-border transport is handled through Pepkor’s established network in South Africa and Namibia. Once inside each country, however, the final leg of the journey is entrusted to in-country transporters, small businesses and operators who understand the terrain, timing and movement patterns of their regions.

This model supports local enterprise, builds resilience into the supply chain and ensures that stock moves quickly and predictably. PEP Africa’s supply chain team is currently tracking contract volumes and spending across each country to formalise and grow the contribution of these partnerships.