Business & Lifesyle by legacymediainnovations

Charl Pienaar

CEO at Stuttaford Van Lines FOCUS Business & Lifestyle are immensely proud to feature Charl Pienaar, the Chief Executive Officer of Stuttaford Van Lines, one of South Africa’s leading removals companies with an impeccable track record of service excellence stretching back over 160 years to 1857. B&L: Please share with us a little about your background and the path to your current position as CEO of SVL? CP: I joined the company in 1990 in George. Starting my career in a small branch gave me exposure to all facets of the business. In 1993, I was promoted to Operations Manager in JHB. It was a very uncertain time in our country but

with great opportunities. In 1999, I was offered a Branch Manager’s position. This opportunity also led to me becoming a Director of SVL at a relatively young age. I managed the flagship branch for 11 years before I was transferred to our head office in Cape Town. My wife, Samantha, son Keeghan and myself were excited to move to Cape Town after 21 years in JHB. B&L: Who has impacted you in your career and life in general? CP: Our group had many wellrespected leaders in the industry managing the business early during my career. Most of them have retired but if I must single out

two people it would have to be Garry Naude who employed me and Harry Wilesmith who I worked with for many years. Harry who is still managing SVL in JHB, shared his invaluable experience with me. My wife, Samantha, for the many late nights that go with the “nature of the beast.” B&L: What kind of ‘out-of-the-box’ strategies does your company follow to differ from your competitors? CP: We have developed our own IT system to support our entire operation. We make use of the most modern vehicles, equipment and packaging material. Our staff are on a continuous training

programme developed over many years to ensure the best possible service to our valued customers. We are proud of our long serving employees within our industry. We have just celebrated with two of our employees, Zaida Benjamin and Naas Vermeulen, who have been with the company 40 years. A remarkable milestone in a world where loyalty and commitment seem to have vanished. We believe that the modern customer needs a quick, accurate and hassle-free interaction. We have learned to speak less and listen more. A customer will not contact you if he/she did not want to make use of your service. It is therefore our job to satisfy all his/her concerns to secure the business.

B&L: How do you diversify your offerings to benefit your customers? CP: Customers demonstrate many different needs. We had to adapt our traditional moving offerings to satisfy all the needs our customers have. Our services range from comprehensive packaging and moving of households to Drop ’n Go option for single item moves, city to city. We had to diversify to satisfy all customer needs. B&L: Please share some of the toughest difficulties you’ve faced and lessons you’ve learned from them? CP: In a competitive market you need to be ahead of the pack if you want to stay the preferred choice mover. With our partnerships across the world, we often share good practices. Unfortunately, what works in other countries does not always suite the South African market.

We have burned our fingers or rather bank account with a number of electronic innovations that our market has no appetite for yet. The most important lesson that I have learnt is not to answer an email if you are upset, delete and answer it tomorrow – you will regret an emotional answer. B&L: How do you feel COVID-19 has affected your industry and do you believe this may become a norm moving forward? CP: Covid-19 has brought with it many challenges for our industry. Some challenges have forced us to implement alternatives that were long overdue. Not being able to physically meet with our potential customer has forced us to start utilising virtual surveys. The potential customer walking us through their residence with a mobile phone giving us the

opportunity to do a video survey. Although we have always been proud of our travelling billboards, our fleet of trucks, keeping them well maintained and clean. Sanitising a fleet in excess of 600 vehicles daily is time consuming and costly. Time we should be spending at the customers’ residence. The protection of our employees and customers is our number one priority. Our policies and working procedure had to be adjusted to ensure we achieve the safest possible way to relocate personal and household effects from origin to destination. This will be the “new normal” going forward while we are faced with this pandemic. B&L: How integrated is your customer experience – from sales to operations to delivery tracking? Do your customers have access to a common portal?

CP: Our domestic moving vehicles are under constant tracking surveillance. It is however only accessible by our staff. We do provide every transferee with a single point of contact that can assist in answering concerns. International moving is however fully integrated with tracking capability of containers. B&L: How do you keep yourself updated? What are some of the websites or magazines or apps that you subscribe to or read regularly? CP: SVL is a member of FIDI, OMNI, IAM, BAR, LACMA, PAIMA and SAIMA all international moving associations. Conferences are held across the world annually where exhibitors and industry get to meet. Good practices and new products are introduced to industry continuously. Monthly Industry

media provide valuable information on new trends and innovation. Being members of these International affiliations require quality service accreditation i.e. FAIM Certification. A FIDI affiliate will provide the perfect solution. For a company to be a member of FIDI Global Alliance, they have to comply with the FAIM certification programme, the most rigorous and independently audited certification programme dedicated exclusively to the international moving industry. FIDI affiliated companies rely on a worldwide network of partners who all work according to the same stringent FAIM requirements. The network of over 600 affiliates in over 100 countries providing quality driven service ensures your valued personal and household effects are in good hands.

Often hailed as the Rolls Royce of removals companies, Stuttaford Van Lines has earned its reputation by moving everything from priceless antiques, difficult and fragile consignments to undertaking massive relocation projects involving 800 families at a time. For 160 years, Stuttaford Van Lines has successfully handled many thousands of moves. With a legacy firmly based in South Africa, Stuttaford continues to offer superior removal solutions within the niche Southern African market. In 1857, three years after landing in Cape Town, Samson Rickard Stuttaford started trading as Stuttaford Van Lines, Drapers. Stuttaford Van Lines developed into the most progressive department store in South Africa and very soon opened its first warehouse for the transport and

storage of its customers’ purchases. Around 1905, Stuttaford Van Lines Cape Town imported the first horse-drawn furniture ‘pantechnicon’ from London. In 1909, the first electric van was purchased and used for town deliveries. Over 160 years later, Stuttaford Van Lines is still one of the oldest, yet most innovative South African companies, with 14 branches and numerous sales offices – the most extensive network in Southern Africa. A household name in Southern Africa with its reputation for quality service and innovation, Stuttaford Van Lines is supported by their group fleet of over 600 vehicles to meet the specific needs of your residential and/or business relocation and support. Their assignment management service allows you to outsource the

administrative and management process and also the storage and management of documents, such as indexing, retrieval and collection/delivery of files and documents. A dedicated Account Team provides integrated mobility services to your relocating employees and strategic advice and support to your HR Team. Reducing overall costs and streamlining communication, Stuttaford Van Lines’ assignment management service is an effective solution for any organisation regardless of how small or large your requirement is. Are you travelling to a new job or even moving to study in a new city? Stuttaford’s Drop ’n Go is the perfect solution. Send 3m³ for just R900 incl. VAT. Discover this new removal service: small moves between Joburg, Potchefstroom, Cape

By taking a holistic view of your entire assignment cycle and the underlying business needs of your organisation, Stuttaford Van Lines can identify service synergies and cost savings, without compromising a best-in-class service delivery providing: Policy design and consulting Access to experienced Account Management Team Administration of relocation benefits Supplier selection and management Assignment cost projections Balance sheet calculations Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) data Tax advice and support Employee policy counselling Assignment tracking Bespoke reporting Assignment insurance (medical, personal liability etc.)

Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth at an unbeatable price. Add packing materials and insurance for peace of mind and your consignment will be ready for collection within 5-7 days. Their assignment management service enables your business to have leading edge mobility programs in place with minimal outlay of resources on your part. Expert relocation professionals manage your relocation program and support your employees throughout the entire assignment cycle, coordinating all aspects of the assignment into one integrated, seamless service. Just a few of their many personalised services include: International removals Transport of vehicles Sea freight and airfreight forwarding Fine art packing

Crating, packing, warehousing and storage Business removals Pet transfer Visa, work permits and immigration Area orientation Stuttaford Van Lines can proudly affirm their well-earned mantra â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the safest move you can make!

Tel. +27 (0)86 178 8882 info@stuttafordvanlines.com www.stuttafordvanlines.co.za

istell has launched a Click2Collect.co.za, a web-based solution that will allow South Africans order a wide range of alcoholic drinks. Click2Collect.co.za allows consumers to locate their nearest liquor outlet – some they may not even have been aware of – to place an order for payment on collection. The consumer then books collection for a specific date and time. The platform makes it convenient for users, cuts out queuing and means it’s easy to avoid crowds and maintain safe social distancing. The platform connects consumers with more than 22 000 taverns countrywide and although designed by Distell, it allows consumers to order any alcoholic beverage, including those offered by other producers. Wilson Khupe, Distell’s head of sales and distribution in Southern Africa said, “We are collaborating and working with selected taverns in the Western Cape, offering them support, educational content and tools. Importantly, we are also soliciting feedback from these taverns to tweak where necessary in order to deliver a best-in-class solution”. He added, “Apart from the obvious benefits for consumers such as safety and convenience in obtaining their alcoholic beverages of choice, the system enables taverns to trade in a socially responsible manner, as well as allows access to data that will allow them to focus on what their patrons want and avoid the burden of unnecessary stock. Distell is committed to assisting taverns, restaurants and other licenced establishments to continue trading responsibly, so they can generate an income, maintain staff

and pay overheads during this challenging time”. Lefa Mapilo, secretary of the Western Cape Liquor Traders Organisation said, “Essentially, Click2Collect.co.za allows taverns to trade responsibly, helping these liquor outlets to keep their staff and customers safe. We are excited to be working with Distell on this initiative”. How Click2Collect works: Click2Collect.co.za allows orders to be collected from Monday to Thursday between 09:00 and 17:00, as per current Government liquor trading and consumption regulations with only 20 slots allocated per hour, making social distancing easier to maintain. On accessing the platform via QR code or by going to www.click2collect.co.za, users need to confirm that they are of legal drinking age before being allowed to use the site. They are then able to use the search bar to find the nearest taverns to their home. They can click the red location item to choose their preferred liquor outlet. This minimises the need for travelling excessive distances to purchase alcohol and therefore limits potential exposure to the Covid-19 virus. Once an order is placed on the Click2Collect.co.za platform, the liquor outlet and consumer each receive confirmation via SMS, containing a link with the order details, ticket number and address of the pickup point. On collection, consumers are required to show their confirmation with their ID as proof that they are over 18 years of age. They pay for their order, receive their goods and encouraged to enjoy their purchase at home.