Boxer is celebrating 45 years of service to South African and eSwatini customers this year and does not show any signs of slowing down in its pursuit of becoming a household name throughout these Southern African nations.
Established in 1977 within the coastal KwaZulu-Natal town of Empangeni, Boxer has evolved over the decades, growing from humble beginnings to over 380 stores across two countries and employing well over 25 000 people. “The key to Boxer’s growth and longevity is the constant endeavour to be more for our customer, every day. We live the brand across the company and remain focused on providing a service to shoppers that is memorable,” said Boxer’s Managing Executive, Marek Masojada.
The company, which trades across three formats – superstore, liquors and build – has entrenched itself in the hundreds of communities that it serves by constantly building on its ‘people first’ mantra. “We employ locally, we empower our teams through education and further learning within our Boxer Training Department and most importantly we always seek to help the communities in the areas we trade through our Ubuntu Projects Division. That is non-negotiable,” said Masojada.
The Boxer Discount model is a relatively unique form of retail in South Africa that relies on a targeted range of relevant items on shelves and a focus on confined labels to bring home vibrant and often unbeatable promotions. Coupled with constantly evolving service departments including Fruit and Veg, Deli, Bakery and the very popular Butchery, Boxer also offers a range of Value Added Services to its customers and offers a warm and welcome destination to millions of SASSA grantees who receive this important monthly grant.
It’s a business style that parent company, Pick n Pay’s CEO, Pieter Boone, wholeheartedly supports and believes in, so much so that he revealed for the first time that Boxer would seek to open a further 200 stores in the next few years.
“We are excited about this challenge. As a Discounter we offer a unique experience to our shopper, one filled with market-leading combos, discounts and offers; incredible in-store service and an all-under-one-roof experience underpinned by our tagline: ‘Never pay more than the Boxer price’. I can confidently say that we are ready to bring our Discounter model to every corner of South Africa and, thanks to our 200 additional store target, create employment opportunities for many while doing so,” added Masojada.
With four Distribution Centres, a massive and successful Meat Factory and consistently evolving innovation pouring out of its Head Office team in Westville, Boxer, with its Discount Model design, is set to change the way we think about shopping.
