Shoprite enters clothing market, but it’s not the prices you would expect

While consumers might have expected the country's 'lower-priced champion' to compete in the cheaper priced clothing market, the retailer opted for quality in the higher price range.

Shoprite group clothing wing UNIQ, opens in Canal Walk. Picture supplied.

The Shoprite Group is expanding its reach into the clothing sector with its new clothing brand titled UNIQ.

Shoprite has described the UNIQ brand as simple and comfortable made from ‘superior fabrics’ offering good value for money.

Self checkout process

The retailers first standalone clothing store opened in Cape Town’s Canal Walk Shopping Centre, with another eight stores scheduled to open in the next month.

The UNIQ store in Canal Walk is also pioneering self checkout machines, allowing staff to focus on other priorities.

“Smart tags and advanced radio-frequency identification (RFID) enable customers to easily scan and pay for items” said Shoprite in a statement.

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Uniq Clothing store in Canal Walk — *UNIQ clothing store in Canal Walk. Picture – Supplied.*

UNIQ prices?

T-shirts are priced from R149, which includes a standard, slim and oversized fit.

Womenswear, such as modal-blend leggings are going for R199, and brushed fleece joggers at R299.

Children’s T-shirts are priced from R70 but a puffer jacket may set you back about R900.

While consumers might have expected the country’s ‘lower-priced champion’ to compete in the cheaper priced clothing market, the retailer opted for quality in the higher price range.

Mr Price and Pick n Pay clothing dominates the clothing industry with its lower priced items, but Shoprite clothing appears to have entered an arena with higher end players like Foshini, Truworths and Woolworths.

Only time will tell how the ambitious Shoprite group will fair in this well established market.

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Eight more standalone stores will be opened at the following locations over the next month:

Ballito Junction Mall (Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal)
Secunda Mall (Secunda, Mpumalanga)
Table Bay Mall (Cape Town, Western Cape)
Mall@Reds Shopping Centre (Pretoria, Gauteng)
The Grove Mall (Pretoria, Gauteng)
Galleria Mall (Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal)
Chartwell Corner (Dainfern, Gauteng)
Menlyn Park (Pretoria, Gauteng)

Shoprite’s expansion into the clothing industry comes off the back of seemingly dark times for the retailer.

Just last month, it revealed spending more than half a billion rand to keep lights on during load shedding.

“Between July and December last year, the Shoprite Group spent an “additional” R560 million on diesel for generators, it said “in order to trade uninterrupted during load shedding stages five and six,” Moneyweb reported.

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