[Image: Roboflow / CC]
South Africa’s newest retailer on the block is promising customers savings of up to 43% on short-dated and past-best-before items.
Best Before, which specialises in offering discounted short-dated and past-best-before items, says their savings range from 28% to 43% compared to conventional retailers like Pick n Pay and Checkers.
Founded in 2017 by Mark Gordon and Alain Soriano, the company sells food and personal care products that are nearing or slightly past their best-before dates. After noting the success in Europe and Australia of concept stores selling past-dated quality food and personal care products at highly discounted prices, the pair decided to launch a pilot store in Wendywood Sandton to test the concept locally.
“A rare scenario occurred, our consumers are delighted with the savings, our Suppliers are delighted that they were able to find a new channel to supply goods that were no longer within the dates acceptable to the traditional supermarkets (1 year shelf life).”
Best Before purchases substantial discounted products in bulk just before they reach their best-before date, savings that the retailer can then pass directly on to customers. While these products may be beyond their best-before date, they remain completely safe to use as they are still within their use-by date.
The retailer also emphasises that although they specialise in best-before products, about 60% of their stock is the same stuff you’ll find at other retailers.
According to BusinessTech, their suppliers include reputable names like Cadbury, Toblerone, Cook n Bake, Clover, Bakers, Halls, Game, Black Cat, Craft, Nescafe, Pepsi, Anat, and All Gold.
South Africa’s retail landscape is fiercely competitive, with major players like Shoprite, Spar, and Pick n Pay constantly vying for market share. To cater to cash-strapped consumers, retail stores like Pick n Pay’s Boxer, Shoprite, and Usave, specialise in discounted goods, but Best Before has now upended the ‘discounted’ market with their offering.
Affordability remains the biggest drawcard for South Africans, and while some of Best Before’s products might have been better before, they are more affordable now, which is a hell of a sales pitch for consumers struggling to feed their families.
[Source: BusinessTech]
