A century of style: Foschini marks 100-year milestone

CapeTalk's Pippa Hudson chats to Chairperson of The Foschini Group, Michael Lewis.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below:

The Foschini Group (TFG) is marking its 100th anniversary this year, celebrating a journey that began with a single store in Johannesburg in 1925. 

ALSO READ: Foschini turns 100: SA fashion giant marks milestone with local designer collabs 

Founded by American entrepreneur George Rosenthal, the retailer quickly gained popularity by bringing Northern Hemisphere fashion to South African consumers.

Today, TFG spans 23 countries, operates over 5,000 stores, and employs more than 50,000 people globally.

Lewis, whose family took over the business in the 1950s, reflected on the company’s evolution from a family-run business into a global retail player.

He credits the company’s long-standing values, investment in local manufacturing, and early embrace of e-commerce through its Bash app as key drivers of continued growth. 

Despite no longer being family-run, Lewis said TFG remains rooted in the people-first values instilled by his grandfather and father, values that have earned customer loyalty across generations.

"Of course, we're in business to make a profit and pay dividends and do all of the financial things that businesses must do. But at the heart of it is a philosophy about people, about culture, about values, that make TFG the place that people want to come to, want to work at."

- Michael Lewis, Chairperson - The Foschini Group

"Most organisations say that they put the customer first - most people say that - very seldom though does that really translate into practice...We really do understand that the customer pays everybody: pays our wages, secures our employment, secures the future of the company's finances. If you do not put your customer first, whether that is offering them the right fashions, or the right products or the right service, or dealing with them courteously...you will fail over time."

- Michael Lewis, Chairperson- The Foschini Group

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.