UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA)
College of Economic and Management Sciences
⋄
MNM2615: MARKETING IN AFRICA
Assignment 03: Final Portfolio | Semester 2, 2026
⋄
Module Code: MNM2615
Module Name: Marketing in Africa
Department: Marketing and Retail Management
Assignment: Assignment 03 (Final Portfolio)
Semester: Semester 2, 2026
Chosen SME/SMME: Green Corner Mini-Market, Johannesburg
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Marketing in Africa
at the University of South Africa.
,UNISA | MNM2615 Marketing in Africa: Assignment 03
Introduction
Marketing in South Africa cannot be separated from the economic setting in which a busi-
ness trades. That setting includes a large informal economy, a township economy shaped by
apartheid-era spatial planning, and a consumer base that is young, price-conscious and increas-
ingly connected by mobile phone (UNISA, 2026). This portfolio applies these themes to Green
Corner Mini-Market, a family-owned convenience store in Johannesburg, using information
gathered in a discussion with its owner, Mrs Nomvula Khumalo.
This portfolio is organised in four sections. Section 1 gives the background of the business,
whilst Section 2 contains the corrected Assignment 01 on technological progress, popula-
tion structure and mobile and internet growth. Section 3 addresses the informal economy,
the township economy and product application from a South African perspective, including
a comparison with the Bathu sneaker brand. The last of the four, Section 4, sets out recom-
mendations for the business. A single conclusion and a consolidated reference list close the
document.
Page 1 of 23
, UNISA | MNM2615 Marketing in Africa: Assignment 03
1 Background of the SME/SMME
Green Corner Mini-Market is a family-owned convenience store and grocery outlet on a busy
pedestrian corner in a mixed-income residential neighbourhood in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Mrs Nomvula Khumalo founded the business in 2015 after identifying a gap for an accessible,
walk-in grocery outlet serving residents who could not always travel to larger supermarkets
further from home. The enterprise is a micro to small enterprise under the National Small En-
terprise Act 26 of 1996. It employs four permanent staff members, including the owner, and
trades from a single 90-square-metre premises.
Products and services. The store sells fresh produce, basic groceries, dairy and bakery items,
airtime and prepaid electricity vouchers, and a small selection of household goods.
Location and customers. The store’s customers come almost entirely from within a 1.5-
kilometre radius. They are long-term residents, students renting nearby and young working
professionals. The owner describes the competitive advantage of the business as convenience,
extended trading hours and personal relationships built with regular customers over almost a
decade of trading, rather than price competition with larger chain retailers.
Current marketing. Marketing is informal and largely reactive. It consists of word-of-mouth
referrals, a hand-painted shop sign and occasional flyers delivered to nearby households. The
owner has not yet used digital tools, social media or mobile payment platforms in any struc-
tured way, which places the store at a disadvantage against competitors that have begun to
adopt them. This gap forms the basis for the corrections in Section 2 and the recommenda-
tions in Section 4.
Page 2 of 23
College of Economic and Management Sciences
⋄
MNM2615: MARKETING IN AFRICA
Assignment 03: Final Portfolio | Semester 2, 2026
⋄
Module Code: MNM2615
Module Name: Marketing in Africa
Department: Marketing and Retail Management
Assignment: Assignment 03 (Final Portfolio)
Semester: Semester 2, 2026
Chosen SME/SMME: Green Corner Mini-Market, Johannesburg
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Marketing in Africa
at the University of South Africa.
,UNISA | MNM2615 Marketing in Africa: Assignment 03
Introduction
Marketing in South Africa cannot be separated from the economic setting in which a busi-
ness trades. That setting includes a large informal economy, a township economy shaped by
apartheid-era spatial planning, and a consumer base that is young, price-conscious and increas-
ingly connected by mobile phone (UNISA, 2026). This portfolio applies these themes to Green
Corner Mini-Market, a family-owned convenience store in Johannesburg, using information
gathered in a discussion with its owner, Mrs Nomvula Khumalo.
This portfolio is organised in four sections. Section 1 gives the background of the business,
whilst Section 2 contains the corrected Assignment 01 on technological progress, popula-
tion structure and mobile and internet growth. Section 3 addresses the informal economy,
the township economy and product application from a South African perspective, including
a comparison with the Bathu sneaker brand. The last of the four, Section 4, sets out recom-
mendations for the business. A single conclusion and a consolidated reference list close the
document.
Page 1 of 23
, UNISA | MNM2615 Marketing in Africa: Assignment 03
1 Background of the SME/SMME
Green Corner Mini-Market is a family-owned convenience store and grocery outlet on a busy
pedestrian corner in a mixed-income residential neighbourhood in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Mrs Nomvula Khumalo founded the business in 2015 after identifying a gap for an accessible,
walk-in grocery outlet serving residents who could not always travel to larger supermarkets
further from home. The enterprise is a micro to small enterprise under the National Small En-
terprise Act 26 of 1996. It employs four permanent staff members, including the owner, and
trades from a single 90-square-metre premises.
Products and services. The store sells fresh produce, basic groceries, dairy and bakery items,
airtime and prepaid electricity vouchers, and a small selection of household goods.
Location and customers. The store’s customers come almost entirely from within a 1.5-
kilometre radius. They are long-term residents, students renting nearby and young working
professionals. The owner describes the competitive advantage of the business as convenience,
extended trading hours and personal relationships built with regular customers over almost a
decade of trading, rather than price competition with larger chain retailers.
Current marketing. Marketing is informal and largely reactive. It consists of word-of-mouth
referrals, a hand-painted shop sign and occasional flyers delivered to nearby households. The
owner has not yet used digital tools, social media or mobile payment platforms in any struc-
tured way, which places the store at a disadvantage against competitors that have begun to
adopt them. This gap forms the basis for the corrections in Section 2 and the recommenda-
tions in Section 4.
Page 2 of 23
