Retailability, the South African retail group founded in 1984, has officially launched Edgars Connect, the brand’s first dedicated standalone cellular store concept. The rollout represents a strategic expansion into the high-growth telecommunications and digital accessory sectors, aiming to leverage the existing footprint of the historic Edgars brand across Southern Africa.
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Retailability operates 135 stores across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini. Confirming the launch, Retailability CEO Norman Drieselmann highlighted the immediate consumer response, noting that a coordinated effort by the company’s cellular department, led by departmental head Faryal Sacoor, resulted in immediate customer queues on opening day.
Edgars’ move into dedicated mobile technology hubs follows a highly successful blueprint established by competitor Pepkor. Pepkor has aggressively dominated the value-driven mobile retail sector through its established Pep Cell network and its newer Incredible Cellular storefronts.
Incredible Cellular operates under the Pepkor Lifestyle banner, a division managing household retail mainstays including Bradlows, Russells, Rochester, Sleepmasters, Incredible Connection, and HiFi Corp. Following a massive rebranding and expansion drive, Pepkor Lifestyle grew its collective physical footprint to 906 stores.
Pepkor’s scale in the telecommunications sector is substantial. In a recent six-month period, PEP stores sold 4.9 million handsets, while Ackermans sold 1.6 million. The highest growth came from Dunns, which saw its sales increase 42 percent to 225,000 units.
Pepkor’s core strategy relies on high-volume sales of hyper-affordable feature phones from brands like Nokia and Citrus—frequently priced as low as R199—alongside budget-friendly smartphones from Mobicel and Stylo. To target mid-tier consumers, the group has expanded into pre-owned iPhones alongside new hardware options from Samsung, Honor, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Motorola.
While Pepkor’s traditional clothing and general merchandise division remains its financial bedrock—generating R39.2 billion in revenue and accounting for 74 percent of its R6.33 billion operating profit, its financial and cellular services have emerged as its fastest-growing segment.
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Central to this growth is FoneYam, Pepkor’s smartphone rental business. FoneYam operates a highly secure smartphone lease-to-own matrix that includes built-in insurance protections covering device loss, theft, customer disability, death, and sudden loss of income.
The division’s metrics underscore why fashion retailers are pivoting to mobile ecosystems. Active FoneYam accounts reached 2.4 million, activating 1.3 million new accounts in a six-month window, which represents a 32 percent year-on-year increase. The commercial performance of the rental book pushed Pepkor’s financial services operating profit up 63.4 percent to R691 million, while the total value of the cellular rental book expanded to R2.6 billion, up from R1.7 billion the previous year.
With the launch of Edgars Connect, Retailability enters a heavily contested market where device financing, recurring upgrade cycles, and integrated technology accessories are reshaping traditional department store revenue streams.
