By Angelo Swartz, SPAR Group CEO

Speaking at the recent Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) Summit in Midrand, I reflected on what it really means to lead with agility in today’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) landscape.

In our industry, agility is no longer a tactical advantage, it’s a strategic imperative. The real test for leadership today lies in navigating the tension between legacy brand stewardship and the need for rapid responsiveness in a volatile environment. As consumer expectations evolve, operational complexity grows, and sustainability becomes a moral and market necessity, executives must transform with pace while preserving brand trust and heritage.

Change Is the Environment We Operate In

South Africa’s retail landscape is not standing still. According to the Corporate Retail Comparative Report by Trade Intelligence, retailers have opened more than 10,000 stores across South Africa and Africa in the past five years, with that momentum expected to continue.

SPAR’s extensive footprint, from urban centres to deeply rural communities, tells us that change is not an interruption; it is the environment in which we operate. The speed of disruption, whether driven by technology, shifting consumer behaviour, or supply chain pressure, means that agility cannot merely be an operational response. It must become an executive mindset.

For SPAR, agility means staying close to communities while navigating global pressures. It means embracing technology, but not for the sake of technology.

Technology That Solves Real Problems

Digitalisation can help solve many challenges in modern retail but we need to approach it with a focused approach. Rather than chasing every innovation, we start by asking: What problem are we trying to solve?

South Africa is a complex and diverse society — in many ways, we live in two or three economies simultaneously. Consumers don’t want to be treated as part of a homogenous group defined by traditional income brackets. Each consumer is a segment of one.

Technology enables us to understand those individual nuances at scale, when, where, and why people want to buy, and to respond in ways that are personal, relevant, and respectful. But understanding is only the first step. The real opportunity lies in how we use that understanding to make our business better, more efficient, and more human.

Empowering Independent Retailers and Entrepreneurs

At SPAR, agility is also about empowerment. We operate through an independent retailer model with entrepreneurs who know their communities better than anyone else. Our role is to unleash that entrepreneurial energy.

We are seeing agility and resilience being driven from the ground up, by people who know what their customers want and at what price. As a corporate player, our purpose is to empower these independent owners to thrive by bringing modern retail standards into underserved communities without overburdening them with red tape.

A good example is our partnership with KasiD, a township-based last-mile delivery platform that supports our SPAR2U home delivery service. KasiD’s Founder and CEO, Freddy Mahhumane, who also participated in the Summit, spoke about how collaboration with SPAR is unlocking real value for township economies.

Through SPAR2U and KasiD, residents in communities such as Tembisa and Soweto can order groceries via the SPAR2U app, and local delivery teams using their deep local knowledge can ensure efficient, reliable service. It’s a model that connects technology with people, creating jobs while improving access to quality goods.

This is the kind of partnership that redefines agility and local innovation powered by shared purpose.

Sustainability and Agility: Two Sides of the Same Coin

The Summit also focused on strategies for a sustainable future, and rightly so. Commercial success and environmental responsibility are no longer competing priorities, they are interdependent.

Leading with agility means having the courage to rethink business models even while they’re performing well. As leaders, we must be willing to challenge our own assumptions, to shift direction while the ship is still moving.

At SPAR, we’re learning that agility isn’t about moving faster; it’s about moving smarter, guided by data, purpose, and an unshakeable commitment to the communities we serve.

Because ultimately, our future won’t be defined by how much we grow, but by how responsibly and inclusively we grow.

Whatsapp