For those who may not have yet notice, a simple click-through on the the Zando (co.za) online store homepage now automatically redirects shoppers to The Foschini Group-owned Bash, South Africa’s largest omnichannel fashion and lifestyle shopping platform.
The move, which caught us by surprise just as we were browsing online stores for our regular bargain hunt, comes – we later learnt – two weeks after Jumla technologies announced (according to Reuters) it will shut down its popular Zando ecommerce store in South Africa, and its Tunisian operation by the end of the year.
Zando launched in 2012 when online shopping, a thriving business to consumer (B2C) form of e-commerce, wasn’t yet popular for many South Africans. It quickly gained tractios to become one of the country’s largest online fashion platforms, with over 550 brands under its belt.
It offered shoppers a diverse range of products, ranging from footwear and apparel to homeware, beauty products, and in-house brands like Utopia.
Bash, officially launched by Hanan and Luke Jedeiken in February 2023, continues to solidify its position in the South African e-commerce market. The duo were the brains behind ecommerce platform CityMob (now Superbalist), which followed Groupon’s business strategy of group buying, allowing products that were in excess to be sold at a significant discount.
Jumia said closing Zando in South Africa will enable them to focus resources on its most promising markets. And for those wondering if Bash did buy Zando, this apoears not to be the case – according to a statement on Bash website: “Bash does not own Zando. Bash is a distinct shopping platform where you will find SA’s most-loved brands.” This can only mean Bash only bought the Zando domain, and not the business model.
