The Shoprite Group is South Africa’s single largest private sector employer with over 140,000 employees – and it’s no wonder many South Africans hope to build successful careers with it.
Two of them, Charity Malope (36) from Dennilton, Mpumalanga, and Daniel Diole (31) from Meriting, Rustenburg, have emerged as inspiring success stories at the retail group.
Inspiring Shoprite careers
Charity Malope
Malope started her Shoprite career in 2008 as a Till Packer. She has since worked her way up to the position of Branch Manager. Her first promotion was to the position of Cashier and then to Customer Service Clerk, a position she believes afforded her the much-needed experience required to grow into a management position.
In April 2013, she took up the position of Trainee Manager and held various management positions – including Sales Manager and Fresh Foods Manager – before becoming a Branch Manager in 2019. Today she is the Branch Manager of the new Shoprite Siyabuswa Lifestyle Centre.
“I was unemployed before I started working at Shoprite, but always saw the Mobile Soup Kitchens serve in my community. It became my mission to work for Shoprite, a company that looks after communities,” she recalls.
“Dedication, hard work and being willing to go the extra mile are some of the ingredients that have helped me become successful in my career. I have learnt to be extraordinary in every task I perform, but above all I have learnt that teamwork really makes the dream work.
“I often share my knowledge and experience with my colleagues so that they can also learn about what I have learnt at Shoprite and this is what makes it simple for me to lead my team.”
Daniel Diole
Diole climbed the career ladder from Grocery Shelf Packer to Branch Manager in just 10 years thanks to his can-do attitude and tenacity.
After joining the Shoprite in 2011, Diole was determined to develop himself through the internal training courses and programmes on offer to gain a competitive edge and build his career. He also studied part-time and obtained a qualification in Human Resource Management from MSC Business College.
From Grocery Shelf Packer, Diole was first promoted to the position of Baker and then to Trainee Manager. He has since held various management positions – including Sales Manager and Fresh Foods Manager – before becoming a Branch Manager in 2019. Today he is the Branch Manager of the new Shoprite Sunrise Park.
“I started working at Shoprite to provide for my family and quickly realised that with the job security provided, I could focus on developing myself and ultimately my career,” says Diole.
“I started working at Shoprite by chance, but found my passion and now can’t imagine myself in any other job. I work in retail for the joy of working with and serving people – it’s the reason I wake up in the morning and look forward to my day.”
Shoprite says 64 percent of its employees are women and 65 percent are youth (under the age of 35). It adds that over the past five years, it has spent more than R700 million on extensive skills development and training programmes. It also managed to create 4,608 jobs in South Africa in the past financial year despite lockdown and July unrest challenges.