Tell me about Usave and how it fits into the Shoprite family. Usave is a value-focused, no-frills supermarket brand within the Shoprite Group, designed to serve lower-income consumers in rural, peri-urban and underserved communities. It focuses on delivering essential goods at consistently low prices, with an emphasis on affordability, accessibility and convenience. What are your main tasks as GM of Usave? My role is to provide strategic direction in a highly competitive retail environment. A key focus is supporting our people and creating opportunities for teams to grow, perform and succeed. I work closely with a skilled and motivated team that is deeply customer-focused, while driving performance across all areas of the business.How did you end up in this job? I joined the Shoprite Group in 2007 as a trainee manager in supermarkets after completing my studies. Retail was not my original career plan, but once I stepped into the role and experienced the business first-hand, I developed a strong passion for it and knew it was where I wanted to build my career. From there, I progressed through several management roles across the group, gaining exposure to store operations, regional leadership and divisional management. Every role taught me something different about leadership, operations and customer behaviour, and those experiences helped prepare me for my current position. What do you think makes you good at the work you do? I believe my strength lies in staying close to the business, understanding people and never losing sight of the customer. I am highly analytical and enjoy solving problems, improving systems and finding opportunities to make the business more efficient. I also believe in leading from the front, remaining positive under pressure and creating an environment where people feel supported and motivated to perform at their best. What did you want to be when you were a child?I was drawn to the creative industry from a young age, which is why I studied advertising. As a child, I used to dream about creating and producing adverts.What do you look for when recruiting for your team? I look for people with a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn. Retail is fast-paced and demanding, so resilience and adaptability are essential soft skills. Technical skills can be developed, but I value people who are customer-focused, collaborative and open to challenging themselves to grow. What is the best career advice you have received? Discipline determines how far you’ll go in life. Passion may start the journey, but consistency will complete it. Business Times