Kit Kat Cash and Carry retail brand is today recognized as one of the leading brands in South Africa’s fast-paced consumer goods industry.
Since its humble beginnings at the Kit Kat Café in the old Asian Bazaar in Marabastad, Pretoria in 1953, the Kit Kat Cash and Carry group has gone from strength to strength.
Kit Kat Café and Restaurant was a well-established business run by Osman Mohammed, his niece Gigi and his father Osman Gani.
This core business is important to CEO Riaz Gani. He dropped out of school in 1995 to join the family retail business called Kit Kat Cash and Carry, when it had a turnover of R10 million.
Today, the turnover of the Kit Kat Cash and Carry group is over R5b and they are aiming to reach that R6.
“Democracy was good for us. We still had to fight an uphill battle after 1994, but it was an interesting journey. In retail, there is always a certain excitement,” explains Riaz, a Harvard Business School alumnus.
For him, it’s a major achievement that his management team and employees’ focus on customer service has transformed the Kit Kat Cash and Carry Group into a retail giant.
“Success will always follow if you do things the right way,” believes Riaz.
This year, in celebration of the Group’s 30th anniversary, there are 16 Kit Kat Cash and Carry Express outlets across Gauteng and five Kit Kat Cash and Carry stores. This substantial growth, however, is not Riaz’s most important achievement.
“Our goal is not to maximize profits, but rather to respect our customers and employees and contribute to the community,” Riaz explains.
These achievements were achieved despite the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.
“During the pandemic, we reorganized the business so that products were available online. The world has changed a lot. You need technological knowledge to scientifically manage a business like ours,” emphasizes Riaz.
Respecting the needs of employees and customers is at the heart of the success of the Kit Kat Cash and Carry Group.
Riaz believes that this value remains the key to the company’s future.
“We have to do what benefits the end consumer. Ask any of our employees what we do and they will say “we sell products”. It’s our company culture to find ways to help people get better value for their money,” says Riaz.
One of the new ways Kit Kat Cash and Carry Group is expanding its offering to customers is by introducing a new fruit, food and takeaway offering after surveys showed customers need such a counter unique.
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Currently, this new offer is available in stores in Pretoria West, Mamelodi and Benoni.
Expansion plans are also on the agenda for the Kit Kat Cash and Carry group with 15 new stores soon to be rolled out across Gauteng.
For Riaz, certain values will remain the same and they concern all people.
“For me, it’s a question of human capital. If you don’t have the right people to help customers, you hurt yourself. If you have the right people to help our customers, everyone benefits. The upside will always be hard work. Success doesn’t happen on its own. »
