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New app to help township spaza shops increase profitability

A new app has been launched for township spaza shops in Johannesburg to help them buy in bulk and get discounts, thereby increasing profitability.

Developed by I AM Emerge, the Vuleka app was launched in Alexandra in the north of Joburg recently. It aggregates orders for bulk purchases for spaza shops and other small businesses.

Manufacturers attending the launch included the Kew-based Katso Juice and SUZ Food Brands, a Pretoria-based company specialising in the manufacture of potato chips.

Over 80 business owners in Alexandra have already signed up and are using the app.

According to I AM Emerge Marketing Manager Oscar Monama, Vuleka will also help to address unemployment in the township as a number of unemployed youth have been roped in as marketers. They will visit various outlets to take orders and educate businesses on disciplines such as stock and product management.

“There are, however, a lot of trust issues involved because any company can go in and promise the whole world but not deliver. We are saying we are here and we know what we are doing and what we want to achieve – seeing more businesses become sustainable. They will be able to compete on price and have longevity, instead of them shutting down after two or three months,” said Monama.

“Our role as the City is to facilitate a climate in which partnerships can be concretised. We are, therefore, excited that this innovation has come to our shores. This is in line with one of the City’s mayoral priorities of encouraging innovation and efficiency through programmes such as Smart City. It is also aligned to our efforts to achieve a minimum of 5% economic growth by 2021,” said Joburg Regional Director, Liziwe Makoro.

I AM Emerge hopes to expand the app to areas such as Tembisa and Soweto.

[Image – City of Joburg]

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