Relatively unaffected by the strong economic headwinds the retail sector is currently exposed to, the OBC brand keeps on growing. In fact, far from putting the brakes on store openings, its management have taken the frequency of store openings up by a few notches lately. The question must be asked, “What enables this brand to go against prevailing trends and succeed?” Let’s find out.
Meeting a basic need
The OBC Group’s managing director, Tony da Fonseca, explains that the OBC store concept was originally developed to supply a clearly defined consumer group, LSM three to six, with chicken. This market segment was selected because it encompasses South Africa’s largest and fastest growing market segment.
This was back in 1987 and the brand’s target market focus hasn’t changed to this day. What has evolved over the years is the appearance of the stores and the product range on offer. The store design developed from somewhat austere to bright and airy. The range has expanded to include fresh, frozen and processed meats, fish and cheese. In response to customer demand, a growing range of dry goods including a selection of OBC- branded products was also added to the mix.
Store openings in the pipeline
At present, the OBC Group operates a total of over 50 stores, including one store in Swaziland. The graphic below provides an overview of store openings planned for the next few months.
Virtually unlimited expansion potentialThe sheer size of OBC’s target market and the fact that population numbers in this segment continue to grow exponentially means that expansion opportunities exist in townships throughout South Africa. In this context, it is important to note that the OBC Group has the necessary infrastructure to:
- Offer franchisees assistance with site selection, lease negotiations and the design and fitting-out of the store.
- Provide outstanding initial and ongoing support to franchisees no matter where in the country their stores may be located. This includes but is not limited to dynamic advertising and marketing support.
- Supply franchisees’ stores with a wide range of products at highly competitive prices. Ordinarily, deliveries are made twice a week but once demand warrants this, this can be ramped up to more regular deliveries. As every retailer knows, having sufficient stock on the shelves is vital. We pride ourselves on keeping stock outages to an absolute minimum.
About the OBC GroupThe OBC Group is privately owned, soundly financed and operates from a wholly-owned state-of-the-art warehouse complex in Midrand.
The OBC Group: - Is a member of the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA)
in good standing. It’s managing director, Tony da Fonseca, chaired this organisation during 2017/19 and is currently its immediate past chairperson.
- Is a past winner of the coveted FASA Franchisor of the Year award, winner and runner-up respectively in other categories. To avoid any appearance of conflict of interest, the company did not enter the awards during the periods its managing director chaired FASA.
- Is a multiple winner of awards offered by the South African Portuguese Chamber of Commerce (SAPCC).
Attractive franchise opportunities existShould you wish to find out more about franchise opportunities for OBC stores,
click here
or write to Robbie Capazorio, the group’s business development manager – robbie@obcgroup.co.za
