31 / 248
29
BLUE LABEL INTEGRATED ANNUAL REPORT 2015
CONVERSATION WITH JOINT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
CONTINUED
Acquisitive and organic growth enables us to
consolidate and optimise various technology
landscapes, as well as share technology skills,
know-how and resources, locally and across our
international operations.
We have embarked on implementing a Group-wide
Information Security Management System in order
to enhance current governance, compliance and
security processes. This also takes cognisance of
relevant changes in legislation, such as POPI
and CPA.
ENTREPRENEURS IN THE CORPORATE
ENVIRONMENT
As entrepreneurs operating in a mainstream
business environment, we continue striving to retain
and instil our “can-do” ethos and creative culture
across the Group:
•
•
our achievements in building the Group are
unique,
•
•
the Blue Label Values (see page 3) were selected
and ranked by the staff. We celebrate
achievements by embodying our values in a
charter that ensures their longevity in our
working culture, and
•
•
when launching new products and services, we
consider the needs of the consumer and then
take a 5-P approach: preparation, product and
packaging, pricing, public relations & promotion,
and position in market.
We believe that entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial
spirit are ageless, timeless and tenacious.
Brett Levy
Mark Levy
Joint Chief Executive Officers
23 October 2015
potential. We have a long runway ahead as
awareness campaigning continues, while meters and
technology at municipalities are upgraded. It is clear
that our proprietary technology is a differentiator in
this market.
RETAIL STRATEGY IS UNFOLDING
The Group continues to capitalise on its existing
base by identifying opportunities to further the
footprint in the formal retail sector in South Africa.
In 2014 the acquisition of RMCS afforded us access
to new distribution channels for the sale of both
RMCS and the Group’s ranges of products and
services, principally to the Edcon Group.
This year, in a strategic partnership with the Edcon
Group, we established the Edgars Connect
stand-alone stores. Edgars Connect retails cellular
products and services, hardware and accessories and
any products requiring a SIM connection. Its focus is
towards serving the “Internet of Things”.
STRENGTHENING OUR FOCUS ON
MARKETING
We are evolving our marketing approach to ensure
that we deliver technology, products and services
which are required by our merchants and
consumers. Extensive research and perception
studies assist us in identifying new opportunities in
order to entrench our distribution footprint in formal
retail, independent, petroleum forecourts, corporate
or low-cost device channels. These results enable us
to develop tailored service offerings to merchants
and consumers, leveraging our unique strengths to
do so.
TECHNOLOGY IS THE CORNERSTONE
OF THE BUSINESS
We have established that successful product
launches are underpinned by strong distribution
capabilities, especially ones that can cater for
ever-changing levels of sophistication in modern
products and services. We continue investing in
technology to ensure our distribution platforms
perform optimally across the Group.