Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice from people who have experience with retail property development, franchising, or dealing with large supermarket groups in South Africa. I come from a rural village in Limpopo. The village currently has only spaza shops, and residents travel far to access supermarkets and SASSA services. There is a suitable piece of land available on a main road with constant traffic, and the area serves multiple surrounding villages. Important context: The land is well located on a main road There is visible foot and vehicle traffic There are mining activities in the surrounding area, with operations expected to be fully functional this year The development would serve not just one village, but a wider catchment area The goal is job creation, access to affordable groceries, and local economic growth I want to explore both possible routes: Franchising (if applicable for brands like Pick n Pay or Boxer/Usave) Property development / landlord route, where I build a compliant retail space and lease it to a retailer like Shoprite, Usave, Pick n Pay, or Boxer My main questions: What is the correct process to approach these retailers? Do I approach head office first, or should I work through property developers/brokers they already use? What minimum requirements do these retailers usually look for before agreeing to a site visit or land survey? Is it realistic to start with no capital, but land available, and then seek funding/investors after retailer interest? For franchising: what are the typical barriers for someone from a rural area to qualify? Are there examples of rural villages successfully attracting national supermarket chains, and how did they do it? I’m not looking for shortcuts or anything illegal — just trying to understand the right, realistic steps so I don’t waste time or money approaching this the wrong way. Any guidance, experiences, or pointers (including who not to approach) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.   submitted by   /u/Last-Exchange4153 [link]   [comments]