Here’s how many jobs the Checkers Sixty60 delivery service has created

The Shoprite Group says it continues to create and retain jobs at a time when the country’s unemployment rate is at an all-time high.

The retailer, which is the largest private-sector employer in South Africa, said it had 144,844 employees at the end of its 2021 financial year. Of these, 65% are under the age of 35 and 64% are women.

It has 2,002 corporate stores in South Africa.

Despite the effects of the lockdown and the recent unrest on retail trade, which affected many of the group’s businesses, Shoprite said it still managed to create 4,608 new jobs in South Africa, two-thirds of which were taken up by young people below 35 years of age.

This included the creation of 2,870 new jobs at Checkers Sixty60, the group’s on-demand delivery service which continues to grow rapidly, and 250 new jobs created by the ShopriteX innovation hub.

Checkers Sixty60 was made available in all nine provinces in South Africa earlier this year- after launching in Polokwane, Limpopo. The one-hour on-demand grocery delivery service launched in late 2019, just prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, in early 2020.

“The Shoprite Group prides itself on job creation and retention, as well as the provision of training to unemployed people to improve their chances of getting a job and ongoing support for suppliers to ensure their businesses are sustainable and that they have a route to market, helping to ensure they are also able to create jobs.

“It continues to innovate to create new businesses and new job opportunities,” the group said.

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