PODCAST | Shoprite pushes technology strategy through its foundation

The Shoprite Foundation’s investment in technology is the focus of this edition of the Business Day Spotlight.

Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Maude Modise, director of the Shoprite Foundation.

Modise explains that while Shoprite’s corporate social investment (CSI) traditionally centred on food security — soup trucks, hunger relief and disaster response — the foundation has expanded its focus to include digital education, coding and robotics in secondary schools.

The discussion centres on the foundation’s launch and continued support of six robotics labs established over the past three years.

This includes recent rollouts at Siyabonga Secondary School in Soweto and schools in Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape.

In 2025, the foundation invested more than R3m in equipping two high schools with robotics labs in the Eastern Cape.

The initiative aims to move pupils from mere technology consumers to creators, problem-solvers and participants in the digital economy, Modise says.

This ties in with Shoprite’s own rapid digital transformation, specifically the rise of platforms like Checkers Sixty60.

Modise highlights that modern retail depends heavily on AI, smart routing and software architecture, making foundational tech skills essential for the next generation of the workforce.

Main topics of discussion include the foundation’s expansion into technology, initiatives and funding, and the tie-in with the group’s broader strategy.

The discussion also touches on the financial structure of corporate foundations.

Modise notes that while funding comes from the parent company, sustainability is bolstered through collaborative co-funding models with external partners and strategic social investment structures.