May 27 2005 09:16:21:410PM

By: Lynn Bolin

Johannesburg - South African consumers can look forward to cheaper goods.

They will reap the benefits of stiffer competition among retailers in the second half of 2005.

It has emerged from recent financial results that more retailers are offering expanded ranges of homeware and furniture products.

While it remains to be seen who will gain market share, consumers can only emerge as winners as a result.

More variety

Consumers will enjoy more variety and choice at better prices, as well as a much improved shopping experience in increasingly vast "superstore" settings.

Following the release of its results in Cape Town, Mr Price Group launched a new top-of-the line Mr Price Home store in Tygervalley.

Tipping the scales at 1 500 square metres, it is the largest space for Mr Price in the Western Cape, and features a selection of modern furniture as well as a coffee/snack shop.

However, Mr Price management said the store still does not have enough room to house adequately the new and expanded furniture range, which will be on full display at the latest even bigger Mr Price Home store in Durban, set to measure about 2 000 square metres - it will open in about three months' time.

The new Mr Price Home store is located across the road from the Tyger Valley shopping centre, in which Mr Price will retain its existing home store.

At the same time, the Home Stores will feature significantly in Mr Price's longer-term goal of expanding its retail space by 50% by 2010.

New stores

Also wading into the fray is Foschini, which revealed in its results plans to open 10 new @home stores during its 2005-06 financial year, continuing its ongoing expansion plans.

Of these, it said, two will be jumbo 2 000 square metre "lifestyle" stores that are due to open in November.

The new stores will offer a full range of contemporary furniture in addition to @home's usual homeware and kitchenware offering, Foschini explained.

Edgars Consolidated Stores joined the bunfight in late 2003 with its purchase of the Boardmans furniture and homeware chain from Pick 'n Pay.

It has now succeeded in integrating the Boardmans' operations with its own, and can also boast many large-format Boardmans stores, many of which contain coffee/snack bars, in its portfolios.

Woolworths introduced a furniture range among its homeware and kitchenware some three years ago, growing its store space to accommodate it, but has not expanded as aggressively as some of its competitors.

Coffee bars

The trend towards large stores (also with convenient coffee bars), was probably first established in Cape Town by Wetherlys, the successful upmarket furniture retailer that was bought by Ellerines more than two years ago.

These days shoppers can find such shops, with a conveniently wide range of choice and enough space in which to turn their large carts around, with increasing frequency.

And these days, more shoppers have more disposable income to be able to take advantage of them.

Edited by Adrienne Taylor