Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / The influx of malls into townships and rural villages post-1994 is well-documented,
and researchers such as McGaffen (2010) have attributed this influx to the rising
buying power of the Black middle class and other poverty intervention programs
created by the government. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact
of establishing malls in rural Limpopo on spazas and general dealers. Furthermore,
the study also evaluated the responses of both spazas and general dealers to
competition from the malls.
In this regard, 50 outlets composed of 25 spazas and 25 general dealers were
interviewed face-to-face on their premises. These in-depth interviews were
conducted using the semi-interview guidelines to gain the views of the store owners
on the impact of malls in areas such profitability, employment, and the products sold
in their outlets. The research further evaluated strategies employed by these outlets
in order to cope with the competition from the malls.
The main findings were that malls do have an impact on profitability, employment,
and the products of both the spazas and general dealers. Similarly, the impact on
customers was a mixed bag in that some establishments experienced a decline in
the number of customers using their outlets, while at least one spaza shop saw an
increase in the number of customers. Finally, the spazas and general dealers
employed a number of strategies, such credit facilities, longer operating hours, and
focusing on products generally not sold in the mall, in order to counter the impact of
competition from the malls.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/79341 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Dlamini, Joe |
| Contributors | Volschenk, Jako, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | viii, 51 p. : ill. (some col.), col. map |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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