Melanie Pike , Indirect Procurement Manager of Massmart , talks digital disruption amidst a procurement transformation

A s a globally-based competitive regional management group , with a portfolio of differentiated , complementary , focused wholesale and retail formats , Massmart is well and truly a market leader across South Africa . With nine wholesale and retail chains , as well as a buying division , the Group has more than 400 stores and 500 buying group members across 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa . Each and every one of those outlets and members is aligned to a shared vision ; high-volume and low-cost distribution . Key to cementing this position and a successful , seamless operation across such a vast portfolio , is a solid and robust procurement and supply chain function and a fine understanding of the significant value that direct and indirect spend can bring . “ I think that , particularly in multinational companies like Massmart , direct spend has been much more prevalent in everybody ’ s mind . But I also think a lot of multinationals are quite au-fait in terms of control spend and accountability with regards to direct spend ,” says