ARK Provisions Grows, But Who Really Gets Retail Access?

Cape Town confectionery brand ARK Provisions achieved 45% sales growth within eight weeks of landing on Checkers shelves, raising a critical question: when corporate retail opens its doors to small businesses, who actually gets to walk through? The partnership highlights what structured SMME support can accomplish, while exposing the persistent barriers that keep black-owned enterprises locked out of South Africa's retail economy.

What the ARK Provisions Deal Reveals About Retail Gatekeeping

ARK Provisions, a women-owned confectionery brand founded by Claire Swanson, 46, and her partner Jacqueline Cloete, 47, now sells its Mexican inspired sweets across 11 Checkers stores in Cape Town. The brand's average sales growth of 45% in under two months confirms what many black entrepreneurs have argued for decades: when small businesses gain access to formal retail channels, consumers respond.

The opportunity came when a Checkers employee discovered ARK's products at a local sweet shop and shared them internally. But access alone was not enough. ARK still had to meet the operational, food safety and technical requirements demanded by one of Africa's largest retailers, barriers that disproportionately exclude black-owned SMMEs lacking capital and infrastructure.

Rather than simply listing the product, Checkers worked with ARK through its supplier development and SMME support programme. Swanson acknowledged the value of this approach.