Supermarkets in Abu Dhabi are reviewing store layouts, checkout displays, and online platforms ahead of the implementation of new regulations. These standards aim to prevent the conspicuous placement of high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar (HFSS) products, while healthier alternatives may occupy these busy areas.
HFSS products will not be completely banned from sale; they will continue to be sold, but retailers are required to move them from locations such as entrances, end-of-aisle displays, and checkout zones. In the online environment, such items must not be highlighted on main pages, search results, pop-up advertisements, or checkout pages.
These rules become mandatory on January 1, 2027, and apply to supermarkets larger than 4,000 square feet. They restrict the placement and promotion of goods classified as unhealthy according to the SEHHI classification of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center.
Retailers informed Khaleej Times that they have already begun analyzing their merchandising strategies and identifying healthier products that could take priority spots.
At Choithrams, changes are expected to involve relocating some products currently in highly visible, impulse-buy locations. Mark Mortimer-Davis, CEO of Choithrams, noted that after products are classified under the new system, rules will emerge defining where and which categories of goods can be displayed.
He added that at the checkout, for example, sugar-free gum and other compliant snacks might remain, and there is also an opportunity to introduce healthier options there. The retailer is reviewing its entire assortment, not just confectionery and traditional sweets, as the rules cover high-fat, high-sugar, or high-salt products.
Choithrams has already started assessing its portfolio and store layouts, awaiting further clarification regarding the final product classification before making any physical changes. The company also forecasts the impact of these changes on its supply chain, as moving healthier products into higher-traffic areas may increase demand for them.
Mortimer-Davis emphasized that this is not merely moving products from one shelf to another: 'Changing the placement of products changes their sales velocity.' He also noted that retailers will need to ensure sufficient stock and production capacity if healthier products begin selling in larger volumes. Furthermore, he mentioned that the commercial impact may vary between products, as some healthy alternatives may come at a higher price.
GMG is already implementing healthier options at checkouts across all its stores. The new Monoprix Abu Dhabi store, scheduled to open in August-September, will feature at least one Healthy Checkout zone. Florian Hutmayer, President of Grocery Department at GMG, stated that the company is also integrating principles of healthier merchandising into the design of new stores and reviewing the presentation of healthier products on its digital platforms.
GMG announced that it is expanding its fresh produce range and adding more convenient healthy meal options while controlling the visibility and discoverability of these items online. Lulu Group has also begun reviewing its merchandising strategy, store layouts, advertising displays, and digital platforms in anticipation of the January deadline.
V. Nandakumar, Marketing and Communications Director at Lulu Group, stated that healthier alternatives will receive more attention, while HFSS products will be placed according to the new requirements. The retailer reported expanding its healthy product range through its global supply network and expects the new rules to further increase their visibility.
For shoppers, the key change is not whether the products are available, but where they are found. HFSS products will be sold, but retailers anticipate that healthier alternatives will become more noticeable in areas traditionally used to stimulate spontaneous purchases.
Mortimer-Davis suggested that product positioning can influence consumer behavior because 'prime spots, checkouts, and promotional zones are used because visibility helps increase sales volume.' He concluded that if healthier products occupy more such positions, customers will naturally encounter them more often, and sales volumes are expected to respond accordingly.
GMG noted that this policy will reinforce the existing consumer trend towards healthier eating, while emphasizing that customers retain the freedom to choose. Retailers are using the months leading up to January 1st to assess affected products, determine their placement, and prepare their stores and online platforms for the new requirements. The policy was developed in collaboration with Healthy Living, Abu Dhabi Registration Authority, Abu Dhabi Department of Health, Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, Abu Dhabi Quality and Compliance Council, and Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority.
The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) granted authorization for Vivo to maintain its Vivo Anti Spam service, which filters unwanted calls, for its postpaid and control plan customers. The Competition Superintendence rejected requests submitted by TIM and other companies in the sector.
The news was initially reported by the specialized portal Teletime and later confirmed by Tecnoblog. In total, Anatel examined more than ten complaints related to the issue.
Vivo's anti-spam system has been active since December 2024 and is distinguished from other solutions available on the market by filtering calls before they even reach the operator's network, preventing the phone from ringing. This feature was automatically activated in June. After this activation, other companies in the sector, notably call centers, began to express dissatisfaction due to the reduction in completion rate, meaning fewer potential contacts answered the calls.
In contact with the mentioned entities, TIM stated that it would not make any statement on the matter. Tecnoblog informed that the content will be updated as soon as it receives responses from Anatel and Vivo.
Vivo clarifies that Vivo Anti Spam employs a sophisticated mechanism to identify problematic callers, using real-time traffic data. One of the parameters considered is the volume of calls originating from specific numbers. Nevertheless, the provider has never detailed the exact rules for the service filtering, which is provided free of charge to eligible customers.
Clarifications were obtained from Vivo for Anatel, where the operator indicated that the technical reference used is the 'maximum capacity for call generation by a human being.' The system takes into account several factors, such as manual interaction with the device, processing time within the network, minimum ringing period at the destination, and the necessary interval to restart the process.
Additionally, the Vivo system evaluates the rejection rate of calls coming from certain numbers, which the operator categorized as 'technical and behavioral elements.' According to Vivo, the error rate remains around 0.009%, attributed mainly to discrepancies between the company making the call and the CNPJ registered on the number.
In the African telecommunications sector, where the author has observed for over 28 years, the dominant model was based on building networks, controlling spectrum, and retaining customers, suggesting that the company with infrastructure wins. However, Capitec Bank is set to test this assumption in the fixed broadband market, and the outcome of this move is highly significant.
In April, during its annual results presentation in Stellenbosch, Capitec announced plans to launch home broadband services, although it did not specify implementation details. Capitec CEO, Graham Lee, used the same platform to completely eliminate call charges for Capitec Connect SIM cards and expand the financing option for premium smartphones. This demonstrates that connectivity is viewed not as a secondary business but as a utility integrated into banking relationships.
This approach is characteristic of platform companies rather than traditional telecom operators. Capitec has 20 million banking customers and is the largest bank in South Africa by customer count, not assets—which is critical in the broadband market competition. Its brand enjoys trust among the low- and middle-income segment, which has historically been underserved by the fixed broadband market.
Mechanisms for successfully implementing home broadband already exist. Capitec Connect operates as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) hosted on Cell C, boasting over 1.5 million active customers and generating a net income of 442 million rand by February 2026. Furthermore, Cell C itself is a reseller of a Fiber Network Operator (FNO). Thus, the basic infrastructure is ready; Capitec only needs partnerships with FNOs, product integration into the banking app, and leveraging its existing distribution advantage.
The financial logic further clarifies the picture. The data traffic volume of Capitec Connect effectively tripled last year, reaching 40.5 petabytes. Mobile data transmission is expensive because it includes spectrum costs, which fiber does not. Every megabyte transferred from the Cell C mobile network to a stationary home connection becomes cheaper for Capitec. This allows it to either maintain margins or, following its history, lower prices and increase sales volume, strengthening its competitive position.
Adding the dimension of fixed and mobile convergence shows that European operators have proven over the last decade that customers who receive both fixed and mobile services from one provider are significantly less likely to churn. A household using banking services, mobile internet, and home broadband from Capitec is the most valuable and loyal customer. This is driven not only by revenue from the connection but also by daily interaction with various bank services.
According to DataEQ's South African telecom customer experience index, which analyzed over 42,000 mentions across X, Facebook, and Hellopeter between October 2025 and March 2026, the operational net sentiment for Capitec Connect was 4%. This figure does not reflect an industry-wide crisis. Among the five MVNOs tracked by DataEQ, the average operational net sentiment was 56%, and FNB Connect, a direct banking competitor using the same branch distribution model, showed 80%. Capitec ranked second from the bottom, only ahead of Standard Bank Connect.
However, customer service was rated at -73%, response time at -82%, and staff competence at -71%. Complaints regarding billing errors were repeatedly received without resolution. Branch staff could not assist with Connect-related queries, and self-service channels produced errors when performing basic operations.
These figures sharply contrast with data from a year ago, when PwC's South African Telecom Sentiment Index, also prepared by DataEQ, rated Capitec Connect at +88%—one of the highest figures in the sector. It is important to note that these two metrics measure different things: the previous one was public net sentiment reflecting the general tone of brand conversations, whereas 4% is operational net sentiment, aggregating service quality, account administration, network quality, and responsiveness.
The strength of the brand is confirmed: customers cite long-term loyalty to Capitec as the reason for choosing the Connect product, and purchase intent is high. However, what happens after the sale does not yet meet expectations. Nevertheless, not everything is broken: the Capitec Connect call center achieved +80%, the best score in the index. Problems are concentrated in branches, USSD systems, and subsequent support.
Part of these problems are structural. MVNOs are responsible for network failures they did not cause and cannot fix. When Cell C experiences an outage, Capitec Connect bears the reputational consequences. This vulnerability persists when transitioning to home broadband. If an FNO partner faces installation delays or network issues, the damage is done to the Capitec brand.
Telkom presents an obvious parallel example. Telkom owned elements for years to capture the mass consumer fixed broadband market: Openserve is a viable FNO, and there is also a mobile network. However, they never implemented this effectively. The infrastructure is present, but the quality of service drove customers away. The Telkom retail brand became a burden atop genuinely useful infrastructure.
Capitec's entire competitive identity is opposite to this scenario. Its promise is simplicity, low cost, and uninterrupted functionality—this is what helped it bypass four major banks from scratch. The question is whether it can bring the same discipline to a market where it relies on partners for infrastructure quality, and failure modes are entirely different from banking.
The author provides an example: 'I use FNB services. I have been a Vodacom mobile customer since 1998. My home fiber internet runs through Cell C. Three different providers, no convergence, and I don't plan to change any of them.' This is not an admission of irrationality but an honest description of how loyal customers are, even if a more advantageous bundled offer exists on paper.
This is precisely why Capitec's argument is not about winning over customers like the author. It concerns who is best positioned to attract the next five million fixed broadband customers in South Africa: people who do not yet have home connections, or those forced to use expensive mobile internet due to high barriers to fixed access.
Alan Knott-Craig's Fibertime service already demonstrates what happens when these barriers are removed: 5 rand per day, no contract, and vouchers sold in local spaza shops. For the first time in South Africa, fiber has become cheaper than mobile internet for low-income households in areas where it is available.
Capitec's version of this story is a banking app with 20 million users, proven billing relationships, and existing device financing. If it secures partnerships with suitable FNOs and applies the same price aggression it used for mobile data, it will not compete with Vodacom or MTN for existing broadband customers. It will be opening up a market that operators have largely left untapped.
The possibility is real, as is the risk of execution. Customer experience data shows that the service level of MVNOs is not yet capable of meeting the brand promise. This must be corrected before scaling home broadband, for the thesis to remain valid. If this is not done, Capitec risks repeating the fate of its banking brand, similar to how poor service undermined the positions of all incumbent operators in this market. Nothing is predetermined, but this is the variable that will decide whether this becomes a story of transformation or a cautionary tale.
South African grain producers have submitted their request for a fair and transparent determination of the soybean price directly to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The organization Grain SA officially delivered its petition and memorandum, in which they oppose the decision to revert to using a single reference point for soybeans.
The management of Grain SA, board members, and producers participated in a peaceful march in Sandton before handing over the documents to JSE representatives at the Gwen Lane offices. The petition, supported by 965 signatures and 511 accompanying comments, calls on the JSE to reconsider its decision, conduct a transparent, evidence-based analysis, and implement a pricing system that better reflects the actual movement of grain and the realities of the physical market.
Richard Krieg, Chairman of Grain SA, stated that the producers clearly articulated their position in a peaceful yet firm manner. He emphasized that the issue goes beyond a single reference point, concerning whether the system reflects the reality of the physical market and whether producers can be confident that decisions affecting their business are based on transparent data.
Grain SA reported in a statement that it is concerned that the decision to reject the multi-reference point model was not supported by sufficient quantitative evidence, and that agreed evaluation criteria were not properly taken into account. A return to a single reference point could lead to transportation deductions based primarily on distance from that point, instead of adequately accounting for regional supply, demand, and actual soybean transfers.
The CEO of Grain SA, Dr. Tobias Doer, noted that efficient markets require reliable price determination. He stated that the organization's position remains unchanged: the methodology must account for grain production locations, demand locations, and how grain actually moves through the market. He added that unnecessary inefficiency ultimately creates costs somewhere in the value chain.
The organization continues to submit technical materials, participate in dialogue, and intends to take legal action, including an urgent application, to prevent the implementation of this decision while the matter is being contested under relevant procedures aimed at protecting producers' interests and ensuring a more effective and transparent outcome. Participants also carried bags of cornmeal as a symbol that sustainable primary production is ultimately the foundation of food security; this flour was donated to charities after the event.
