Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper has been named Best Retail Loyalty Programme of the Year in Africa at the 2026 African Loyalty Awards, recognising the programme’s growing role as a key driver of both customer value and business performance.

Woolworths South Africa has been recognised on the global stage at the International Content Marketing Awards (ICMA) in London, receiving the Grand Prix Gold for Best In-house Agency.

The award recognises Woolworths’ distinctive approach to brand-owned storytelling, underpinned by an integrated in-house content model and a strong long-standing partnership with Media24 Advertising & Content Marketing (ACM).

In addition to being named Best In-house Agency, Woolworths received further accolades for its purpose-led campaign This Apple Can Save the World:

• Gold: Best Purpose-Led Content
• Silver: Best Use of Innovative Technology

 “Our content marketing team exists to tell the stories that make Woolworths the most-loved brand in South Africa” says Cathy Lund, Executive Content Director at Woolworths. “As an in-house team, we unite business strategy, brand, creative and content expertise around a single mission: delivering audience-first storytelling that is strategically grounded, creatively ambitious and commercially effective,” she explains. “Being recognised as Best In-house Agency at the ICMA validates the model we’ve built – one that blends deep business integration with creative leadership and partners who help us bring that vision to life with excellence and scale,” she adds.

Embedded within the Woolworths business, the content marketing team leads a broad content ecosystem spanning owned platforms as well as partner-produced properties such as Woolworths TASTE and the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards, developed in collaboration with Media24 ACM. This in-house model enables close alignment with product, trading and seasonal priorities, while ensuring a consistent brand experience for customers.

The strength of Woolworths’ content ecosystem was further highlighted by multiple awards for Woolworths TASTE, produced by Media24 ACM, which received six accolades across key categories:

• Silver: Best Use of Social Media for Woolworths TASTE's social channels
• Silver: Best Use of Imagery for Woolworths TASTE – Our Best Ever Christmas
• Bronze: Best Use of SEO for Woolworths TASTE – Making Culture Visible
• Bronze: Best Use of Monetised Content for Woolworths TASTE – Ottolenghi campaign
• Silver: Content Person of the Year for Katharine Pope (Media24)
• Bronze: Best Inter-Company Engagement for Woolworths Shop Talk (Internal Comms)

Nerisa Coetzee, Chief Revenue Officer at Media24, says “These awards highlight the power of collaboration between Media24 Advertising & Content Marketing and Woolworths, combining insight-driven strategy with creative excellence to deliver high-performing content. Woolworths is a client that truly values audience relevance, craft and effectiveness, and this shared ambition enables us to create work that resonates with both consumers and employees. A special congratulations to Katharine Pope on her Silver for Content Person of the Year – a well-deserved recognition of her leadership and vision. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved.”

Elizka Ferreira, Head of Food Marketing at Woolworths adds, “Media24 Advertising & Content Marketing’s ability to deeply understand our brand, our customers and the cultural moments that matter most has been instrumental in creating content that truly resonates. From TASTE’s visual storytelling to the Ottolenghi and Making Culture Visible campaigns, this partnership continues to deliver exceptional creativity and tangible business results.”

With multiple ICMA wins in 2024 and further global recognition in 2025, Woolworths continues to set the benchmark for in-house content teams, combining strategic leadership, creative excellence and trusted partnerships to deliver content that matters.

The37th edition of the prestigious World Cheese Awards took place from 13 – 15 November in Bern, Switzerland. Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, a British organisation dedicated to celebrating artisan food and drink, the competition has been spotlighting exceptional cheese producers from around the globe since 1988.

The Shoprite Group’s Centurion Distribution Centre – the largest DC in its network, which spans over 173 500 m² – has achieved a Level 2 Zero Waste to Landfill certification from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), marking a significant milestone for sustainable retail logistics in South Africa. 

Engen has reinforced its commitment to safe, efficient and more sustainable fuel distribution with the addition of 30 new lower-emission trucks to its national fleet. The investment forms part of the company’s ongoing Own Fleet Lifecycle Management Programme, aimed at enhancing operational resilience, improving safety standards and reducing environmental impact across its logistics network.

Two major South African grocery chains are using innovative trailer technology that generates electricity from the motion of truck wheels to power refrigeration units, reducing fuel use and emissions.

Two truly South African favourites — Checkers Sixty60 and Sparletta Crème Soda — have come together to create a limited‑edition, co‑branded collector’s can that celebrates the brands’ shared place in local culture.

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority says regulatory breaches prompted the recall of certain Citro-Soda products made by Adcock Ingram.

Woolworths Holdings Limited (WHL) announced today its intention to acquire 100% of the shares in privately-owned prepared foods manufacturer in2food, from the founders, Old Mutual Private Equity (part of Old Mutual Alternative Investments Proprietary Limited), and other exiting shareholders.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has issued a recall for a batch of Made for Tots Corn Puffs Chicken 12g sold through Clicks Group stores and its online platform.

Farmers in the Western Cape received a major boost with the arrival of 100 000 Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccinations at Cape Town International Airport. Vaccination of farm animals across the province will be continued.

A further baby formula product has been removed from retail shelves in South Africa after the National Consumer Commission (NCC) issued a safety recall linked to contamination concerns.