Retailers should give small business a sustainable "piece of the action"
South African retailers can give local small businesses a sustainable “pond to fish” in rather than just teach them to fish.This is according to Pick n Pay’s director of transformation, Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, speaking at the launch of the retailer’s Meet the Maker showcase at the Pick n Pay Hypermarket in Brackenfell yesterday morning. The showcase will be trialled in eight stores across the country over a three-month period including Durban North, Faerieglen, Norwood, Sea Point, Wynberg, Waterfront, Claremont and Brackenfell, where Pick n Pay has introduced dedicated shop space to promote local South African products, produced by small businesses to customers. Pick n Pay established its Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programme last year, when the retailer partnered with more than 100 small businesses and invested R170 million into supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses through mentorship and business development.