Ronald Bakers, Shoprite employee Photo: Supplied 
Impact at a glance
- Seven YES programmes since 2018
- 15,000 work experiences created
- 86% of youth have financial dependents
- R750 million paid in youth salaries
As South Africa’s largest private sector employer, the Shoprite Group is showing how social and economic impact can strengthen long-term Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance.
Raising the bar on impact reporting
Globally, sustainability reporting is moving from voluntary to mandatory. Ninety-six percent of the world’s largest 250 companies now report on sustainability, and the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive requires companies to disclose detailed ESG impacts. The Shoprite Group advocates YES in its sustainability disclosures as a driver of youth employment and transformation. YES delivers a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation function through quantitative metrics to track progress, qualitative insights that give context, and regular analysis to continuously improve the programme for organisations and youth. Clear objectives link programme delivery to sustainability goals, strengthening stakeholder trust and the credibility of the Group’s impact narrative.
The Group’s 2025 Sustainability Report sums up the approach in their purpose statement, to “[Uplift] lives every day by pioneering access to the most affordable goods and services, creating economic opportunity, and protecting our planet.” Sustainability is not an empty promise, but an ethos underpinning operations across the value chain.
Investing in the workforce of tomorrow
At the heart of the Group’s transformation agenda is a long-term commitment to creating jobs and growing skills, particularly for unemployed youth. The sustainability strategy, overseen by the Social and Ethics Committee and guided by the King IV Code of Corporate Governance, places youth development at its core. Through YES and other youth development initiatives, including the Retail Readiness Programme, where the retailer provides practical work experience that build a skilled, diverse workforce for modern retail.
How rigorous reporting drives ESG outcomes
YES supplies the measurement engine that makes this impact visible and auditable. The programme’s monitoring and evaluation framework enables the Shoprite Group to quantify outcomes, surface qualitative stories that explain the numbers, and track progress over time. Data-driven impact reports connect activities to youth and community benefits, while ongoing analysis highlights where adjustments will increase effectiveness.
The Shoprite Group's commitment to ESG has not gone unnoticed. The company is a two-time YES ESG Award winner, in 2023 and 2024, at the ESG Africa Awards held at the Sandton Convention Centre. Recently, the Group was honoured as a Top YES Youth Job Contributor, with signed certificates from President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasising its commitment to measurable contribution to youth employment efforts.
Social and environmental value
At the Shoprite Group, more than 15,000 young South Africans have already gained real work experience through the YES programme. This experience helps them earn an income, support their families, and take their first step into the formal economy. In addition to the YES programme the Group’s Retail Readiness Programme, a seven-week accredited retail training programme, prepares unemployed youth for the retail industry and customer-service skills that open doors to long-term employment.
Many young participants come from households that rely on social grants, which makes every new job a route out of generational poverty. At the same time, the Shoprite Group’s Enterprise and Supplier Development initiatives extend opportunity beyond its own workforce, helping local entrepreneurs and small suppliers grow alongside the communities they serve.
On the environmental side, initiatives such as the Packa-Ching recycling programme engage youth and communities in waste reduction and environmental awareness. Investments in solar energy, refrigeration efficiency and water-saving technologies across stores and distribution centres reduce environmental impact and create selected “green” roles within operations. Increased emphasis on ethical and sustainable sourcing extends these benefits across the supply chain.
Why the model works
The approach is integrated. YES provides the work experience and the measurement discipline. The Shoprite Group’s operational platforms scale practical training into jobs that carry real responsibility. The monitoring cycle links objectives, delivery and evidence so that improvements compound. The outcome is a repeatable operating model in which youth employment advances both the “S” and, through selected initiatives and operational efficiencies, the “E” in ESG.
The road ahead
The Group is turning its social impact into something both measurable and lasting. The result is practical change through job creation, stronger communities, and a more resilient economy, showcasing that responsible business can drive real transformation. DM