Jennings Puts His Stamp On Woolworths

Jennings Puts His Stamp on Woolworths

Andrew Jennings is a retail globe-trotter.

As a senior executive in five countries during his 38-year career, Jennings is accustomed to change and he's bringing that sensibility to his latest assignment as group managing director of Woolworths South Africa, based in Cape Town.

Since taking the job in December 2006, the self-described agent of change has been shifting the corporate mentality from product-focused to consumer-centric. He has injected a handful of modern and contemporary fashion labels into the predominantly moderate-priced private label to meet the demand for brands from South Africa's emerging black middle class.

The buttoned-down, London native with an Old World demeanor also established a customer-relations management department, with a database of more than two million customers, including details such as where they shop, dine and spend holidays.

In overseeing the buying, selling, marketing, planning and real estate divisions, Jennings has sought to elevate women's and men's apparel and accessories to a level closer to the chain's high-end food offering. Women's, men's and accessories is almost entirely private label and represents 55 percent of the chain's total volume. Food is 45 percent of the business and is 90 percent private label, 10 percent brands. Woolworths, known as Woolies, is considered a mass merchant for middle and upper incomes.

The food business would be at the top end of the marketplace, and the clothing at the middle of the marketplace, but we have been trying to get a consistency across the entire business, Jennings said. We are always going to sell a...