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Google Cloud Partners Pepkor IT to Drive Business Transformation Across Southern Africa
Google Cloud has partnered Pepkor IT, a division of the Pepkor Group leveraging Google Cloud’s data analytics solutions to transform its in-house logistical processes, enabling the company to help more households across Africa access value-for-money products.
With a consumer base of more than 28 million in-store customers and a footprint of 5,400 retail stores, Pepkor IT’s processes generate massive volumes of data every day. For a retailer that operates at such scale, a deep understanding of the data Pepkor IT generates is critical for it to deliver great experiences for shoppers.
Pepkor IT turned to Google Cloud to leverage data analytics solutions that will help the retailer transform its logistical processes, placing the right product in front of the right customer at the right time. Working with solutions such as BigQuery, Cloud Dataflow, and Data Studio, Pepkor IT is now empowered with the innovative tools it needs to make smart, transformative business decisions every day.
Pepkor IT has also been able to address stock replenishment at stores more effectively. Demand planning reports that once required 20 hours to be created weekly, are now created instantly with BigQuery and Cloud Data Flow, saving up to 80 hours of work per month and increasing staff productivity by 50 percent.
Additionally, reports used for route planning and strategic decision making that used to take up to three hours per report, are now generated in two minutes with Data Studio and Google Maps.
Additionally, the introduction of BigQuery has significantly improved stock replenishment calculation at warehouses through automating the process that generates replenishment reports. Previously, the stock calculation process was done manually and would take up to 300 hours to produce one report. Now, Pepkor IT produces the report in five minutes.
Niral Patel, Director of Google Cloud Africa said: “Pepkor has a deep-rooted legacy in Southern Africa, which has made it a household name. It is therefore not surprising that Pepkor is striving to take its shoppers’ experiences to the next level. With Pepkor running its data workloads on Google Cloud’s innovative data analytics solutions, stores are being stocked quicker, deliveries are going out on time, and shoppers are buying a product at a much more affordable price.
“Our collaboration with Pepkor is a great example of the power of data to make businesses more efficient, ultimately improving the customer experience.”
Gabrie Gouws, Chief Information Officer, Pepkor IT said: “Pepkor IT is using Google Cloud to enrich lives through innovation. Our Big Data landscape consists of a much broader and deeper set of data than ever before.
“We process huge volumes of data at the speed of light. The environment enables our business partners to do any type of analytics, so that they can make better and faster decisions.”
Pepkor IT also deployed Google Workspace to digitize its manual processes related to work requests coming in from the stores, which used to take up to 15 days. Pepkor implemented a digital system that uses Google Forms, Sheets, Gmail, and Google App Script, and was able to provide real-time visibility on approval status for these requests.
The new system has reduced the process flow from 15 days to 3 days and has also generated quicker application responses, enabling the stores to operate faster and more efficiently.
To date, a total of 10,682 requests have been logged using the new process, the process flow is 50% to 70% faster, depending on the labour request type.
With the introduction of Travel Saga, a premium, fast-paced gaming experience that is currently live and accessible to customers on its network, Globacom has lifted the bar for mobile entertainment in the country.
Travel Saga is a story-driven, intricately connected role-playing game designed to provide the thrill, complexity, and competitive intensity of some of the most well-known action games in the world.
The game, which has been painstakingly optimized for mobile devices, redefines mobile gaming as a full-fledged digital battlefield by translating a console-grade experience onto data-enabled handsets.
Fundamentally, Travel Saga takes users on quick virtual journeys against recognizable international landscapes. In a dynamic, ever-evolving gaming environment, players are thrown into furious missions, fierce fights, and ever-expanding tales where talent, strategy, and endurance determine who rises through the ranks to become a true war hero.
In addition to the excitement of fighting, users are encouraged to go to various locations, take part in thrilling challenges, and participate in intense competition for in-app rewards like points and victory badges. With each encounter and accomplishment, the immersion increases with each level, maintaining momentum and excitement.
Flexible subscription plans with one-time or auto-renewal choices are available to subscribers for the service, which costs ₦100 per day and ₦250 per week. By dialing *70021#, customers can quickly subscribe and gain instant access to the action.
With Travel Saga, Glo reaffirms its dedication to innovation and high-end digital experiences, making top-notch gaming easily accessible to its customers. The game offers uninterrupted action, adventure, and competition, all smoothly supported by the Glo network.
SHELT, a leading cybersecurity-as-a-service provider, has earned inclusion in the 2025 MSSP 250, the annual ranking of the world’s top 250 Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) by MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance publication.
SHELT
The list evaluates firms on business performance, service breadth, and industry impact, spotlighting those excelling in growth, operational excellence, and advanced managed security amid rising cyber threats. Selection criteria include annual recurring revenue, profitability, workforce expansion, business growth, and the depth of managed security offerings.
SHELT’s recognition underscores its investments in scalable security operations, threat intelligence, and tailored managed services across multiple regions, enabling clients to navigate complex risk landscapes effectively.
“Being recognised in the MSSP 250 is a meaningful milestone for our team,” stated Youssef Abillama, CEO of SHELT. “It validates our focus on building practical, resilient security services that help organisations manage risk and respond effectively to today’s evolving cyber threats.”
The company hailed the honour as testament to its teams’ dedication and expertise worldwide, reaffirming commitment to enhancing capabilities and delivering trusted cybersecurity solutions.
Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its new president and vice chairman, bolstering its leadership amid aggressive AI and infrastructure expansion.
Dina Powell McCormick
The announcement, made on Monday, positions Powell McCormick – who recently stepped down from Meta’s board after eight months – to guide overall strategy, including multi-billion-dollar investments in data centres and global partnerships.
A Goldman Sachs veteran with 16 years in senior roles and prior stints as deputy national security adviser under Trump and in the Bush administration, she brings deep finance and international ties to the role.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed her as “uniquely qualified” for the company’s next growth phase, while President Trump praised the move on Truth Social as a “fantastic choice”.
The hire signals Meta’s efforts to strengthen White House relations, following recent dinners with Trump and U.S. investment pledges worth hundreds of billions
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