Eskort expands its retail presence with new stores across South Africa

ESKORT is not just about bacon or Viennas; the food processing company behind the brand has added four retail stores across the country in a growth spurt at the end of last year, with more planned for the future.

- EDWARD WEST

As the manufacturer and processor of iconic antibiotic-free pork products, growing a retail chain may not seem like an obvious path to profit. However, for Eskort, it has proven a successful strategy.

The company now operates 30 stores nationwide, with the first one opened in the Western Cape among the four new locations recently launched. Most of these are owned and operated by Eskort, while a handful are run by franchisees.

In an interview with BR, Eskort's marketing director, Marcelle Pienaar, said that the company opened its first retail store in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal, in 1951, near its first manufacturing facility.

The second store followed in the 1970s in Heidelberg, where a second manufacturing plant was established.