SOUTH AFRICA – Checkers, a supermarket chain owned by Shoprite has launched its Sixty60 on demand one-hour grocery delivery service in the Northern Cape.

Since first launching in late 2019 in a few neighbourhoods in the Western Cape and Gauteng, Checkers has rapidly expanded Sixty60 throughout the country.

With more than 1 million app downloads, over 15 000 groceries to choose from on the Sixty60 app and delivery done under 60 minutes, the service remains South Africa’s reliable grocery delivery service.

“Customer response has been exceptional due to the service’s lightning-fast speed, ease of use and its innovative and safe solution to having groceries delivered at the touch of a button at the same value for money for which Checkers is renowned,” indicated the company.

Shoprite reused and recycled 37 312 tons of cardboard and 4 410 tons of plastic from their distribution centres last year

Meanwhile the retailer has a new recycling initiative for its popular brown packaging bags that will help close the recycling loop for its customers.

The initiative, which is part of the Shoprite Group’s zero waste-to-landfill ambition, will allow customers to return their used bags with Sixty60 drivers for recycling.

Sixty60’s paper bags are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, and already comply with the highest social and environmental standards, but the new service will go further towards reducing the Group and its customers’ impact on the environment.

The programme rolled out nationally from early March, after a successful trial period in late January 2021.

It will enable shoppers to return their used paper bags to Checkers with the Sixty60 driver the next time they receive a delivery.

Once the used bags have been given to the driver, they will be returned to the store and recycled.

Under Shoprite Group’s broader recycling programme, the supermarket chain owner saw 37 312 tons of cardboard reused and recycled, and 4 410 tons of plastic recycled from their distribution centres last year.

Further reducing its impact on the environment, its parent company Shoprite, has inked an agreement which will see the group procure 434 000 MWh of renewable energy per year for the next seven years, a first of its kind in Africa by any retailer.

Also, the retailer has made strides in reducing green-gas emissions by installing rooftop photovoltaic panels at 19 sites in South Africa and Namibia, generating 12 300 MWh of electricity – a year.

Its largest installation is at its Basson distribution centre in Brackenfell, South Africa, covering the surface area of an entire soccer field with panels measuring 7 706 m2, generating capacity of 1MW.

The group has also fitted 649 solar panels to the roofs of its refrigerated trucks, which generate 760 MWh annually – enough power to run 1 040 refrigerators for a full year.

In a bid to find innovative ways to reduce electricity usage, the group has also replaced fluorescent lamps with energy-efficient LED lamps.