“People Will Lose Jobs”: SA Concerned As Marketing Expert Explains Closure of Foschini Stores
- Marketing expert Lebo Lion posted a TikTok video explaining why the Foschini Group is shutting down hundreds of stores across its retail network
- The Foschini Group identified over 300 underperforming stores for closure, with around 100 already shut during its 2026 financial year
- South Africans expressed concern about job losses and rising prices as the retail giant shifts focus to its e-commerce platform, Bash
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South Africans are worried about job losses after marketing expert Lebo Lion broke down what is really behind the Foschini Group’s mass store closures. She posted a video on TikTok on 15 August 2026, pushing back against viral claims that Foschini was simply “closing down.”
The reality, she explained, is more strategic. The Foschini Group, known as TFG, reportedly identified more than 300 underperforming and loss-making stores across its retail network. Around 100 of those had already been shut by the end of its 2026 financial year. The closures are aimed at cutting costs that had grown significantly higher than the group’s sales.
Foschini is just one brand in a much bigger group
Lebo pointed out that many South Africans confuse Foschini the store with the Foschini Group, which is a large retail conglomerate. TFG owns brands including Exact, The Fix, Markam, Sportscene, Total Sports, @home, Dial a Bed, American Swiss, and Sterns, among others. The group also operates stores in Australia.
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While stores are closing, Lebo highlighted that TFG’s e-commerce platform, Bash, grew by 49% year on year, delivering gross margins comparable to its physical stores. She noted that selling online reduces costs, limits exposure to volatile markets, and makes it easier to introduce new products quickly.
Lebo Lion also raised a bigger question about the future of retail work. With more brands shifting online, she asked what role store assistants would play going forward and how workers in the sector would need to adapt.
Watch Lebo Lion’s full TikTok breakdown of the Foschini Group closures:
Mzansi reacts to the store closures
South Africans flooded the comments with a mix of concern, frustration and personal opinions about shopping in-store versus online:
@beatrice wrote:
“Their prices are why they are closing.”
@Angela_m said:
“So many people will lose their jobs. 🫶💔”
@olwetu shared:
“I prefer physical stores; I want to try on the clothes and see if they fit my expectations.”
@MasegoM said:
“No, because why are they so expensive? I used to love buying from them so much, I stopped. I even pass by their shop like it doesn’t exist.”
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Source: Briefly News
