In many ways, Massmart had all the pieces of the puzzle to be the biggest ecommerce player in the South African market. It had the supply chain, with distribution and fulfilment centres in the three main hubs of the country (not to mention nearly two dozen Makro stores that are basically fulfilment centres in their own right).

It had incredibly well-known brands in Makro – arguably as much of an ‘everything store’ as Walmart – as well Game and Builders. It has (or ought to have had) insights on tens of millions of customers. Most importantly, it had the opportunity to leverage bestpractice from parent Walmart’s operations around the world.