UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Economic and Management Sciences
Department of Marketing and Retail Management
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
MNM2615: Marketing in Africa
Assignment 03 (Final Portfolio) | Semester 2, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
MNM2615
Module Code:
Marketing in Africa
Module Name:
Green Corner Mini-Market: the Informal
Portfolio Topic: Economy, the Township Economy and Prod-
uct Application
Assignment 03
Assignment Number:
Semester 2, 2026
Semester:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Marketing in Africa, UNISA 2026
,UNISA | MNM2615 Marketing in Africa: Assignment 03
Introduction
Small businesses in South Africa trade in an economy that is formally regulated on paper but
informal in much of its daily practice. Millions of people earn a living in enterprises that sit
wholly or partly outside tax, labour and licensing systems, and a large share of neighbourhood
retail takes place in or close to township communities (Stats SA, 2026). Marketing decisions
for a small retailer therefore depend as much on an understanding of this informal and town-
ship environment as on the continental trends of technology, population and connectivity cov-
ered earlier in the module.
This final portfolio applies these ideas to Green Corner Mini-Market, a family-owned conve-
nience store and grocery outlet in Johannesburg, Gauteng, which was also the case business
in Assignment 01. Section 1 gives the background of the enterprise. Section 2 presents Assign-
ment 01 with the necessary corrections. Section 3 discusses the informal economy, the role of
SMMEs in the township economy and product application from a South African perspective,
and compares the store’s products with those of the sneaker brand Bathu. Section 4 recom-
mends how the store can improve its marketing and operations, and a single conclusion and
reference list close the portfolio.
Page 2 of 23
, UNISA | MNM2615 Marketing in Africa: Assignment 03
Section 1: Background of the Chosen 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 of Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Mrs Nomvula Khumalo founded the business in 2015 after identifying a need for an accessi-
ble, walk-in grocery outlet for residents who could not always travel to larger supermarkets.
The enterprise falls within the micro to small category defined by the National Small Business
Act 102 of 1996, as amended. It employs four people, including the owner, and trades from a
single 90-square-metre premises.
The store offers fresh produce, basic groceries, dairy and bakery items, airtime and prepaid
electricity vouchers, and a small selection of household goods. Its customers live almost en-
tirely within a 1.5-kilometre radius and include long-term residents, students renting nearby
and young working professionals. The owner identifies the store’s competitive advantage as
convenience, extended trading hours and personal relationships built with regular customers
over almost a decade, rather than price competition with large chain retailers.
Marketing is currently informal and reactive: 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 a structured way, which places the store at
a disadvantage against competitors that have started to adopt them.
Page 3 of 23
College of Economic and Management Sciences
Department of Marketing and Retail Management
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
MNM2615: Marketing in Africa
Assignment 03 (Final Portfolio) | Semester 2, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
MNM2615
Module Code:
Marketing in Africa
Module Name:
Green Corner Mini-Market: the Informal
Portfolio Topic: Economy, the Township Economy and Prod-
uct Application
Assignment 03
Assignment Number:
Semester 2, 2026
Semester:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Marketing in Africa, UNISA 2026
,UNISA | MNM2615 Marketing in Africa: Assignment 03
Introduction
Small businesses in South Africa trade in an economy that is formally regulated on paper but
informal in much of its daily practice. Millions of people earn a living in enterprises that sit
wholly or partly outside tax, labour and licensing systems, and a large share of neighbourhood
retail takes place in or close to township communities (Stats SA, 2026). Marketing decisions
for a small retailer therefore depend as much on an understanding of this informal and town-
ship environment as on the continental trends of technology, population and connectivity cov-
ered earlier in the module.
This final portfolio applies these ideas to Green Corner Mini-Market, a family-owned conve-
nience store and grocery outlet in Johannesburg, Gauteng, which was also the case business
in Assignment 01. Section 1 gives the background of the enterprise. Section 2 presents Assign-
ment 01 with the necessary corrections. Section 3 discusses the informal economy, the role of
SMMEs in the township economy and product application from a South African perspective,
and compares the store’s products with those of the sneaker brand Bathu. Section 4 recom-
mends how the store can improve its marketing and operations, and a single conclusion and
reference list close the portfolio.
Page 2 of 23
, UNISA | MNM2615 Marketing in Africa: Assignment 03
Section 1: Background of the Chosen 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 of Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Mrs Nomvula Khumalo founded the business in 2015 after identifying a need for an accessi-
ble, walk-in grocery outlet for residents who could not always travel to larger supermarkets.
The enterprise falls within the micro to small category defined by the National Small Business
Act 102 of 1996, as amended. It employs four people, including the owner, and trades from a
single 90-square-metre premises.
The store offers fresh produce, basic groceries, dairy and bakery items, airtime and prepaid
electricity vouchers, and a small selection of household goods. Its customers live almost en-
tirely within a 1.5-kilometre radius and include long-term residents, students renting nearby
and young working professionals. The owner identifies the store’s competitive advantage as
convenience, extended trading hours and personal relationships built with regular customers
over almost a decade, rather than price competition with large chain retailers.
Marketing is currently informal and reactive: 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 a structured way, which places the store at
a disadvantage against competitors that have started to adopt them.
Page 3 of 23
