Published on February 14, 2023
TFG brands, who are the umbrella company for Whistles, Phase 8, Hobbs and Damsel in a Dress, are a long-standing client and recently enlisted our support with an EVP project to help embed the values and behaviours across the TFG brand.
As always, this was a very collaborative process, working closely with Alex, the group HR director to ensure we had captured the essence of the TFG culture. Having spent a lot of time in the past few years working with the brands on various leadership and management initiatives, our experience and relationship with the leaders and employees meant we could objectively refine and contextualise the different areas of the business.
One of our key strengths is balancing creativity with practical behavioural frameworks for internal communications and colleague motivation and we have thoroughly enjoyed working with Alex again. She really is an experienced professional who knows her business and colleague’s very well. Co-creation always delivers richer and more meaningful end results.
TFG Limited, also known as The Foschini Group, is a South African JSE listed retail clothing group, which trades under various brands and has more than 3,000 stores within its portfolio.[3] It is headquartered in Parow East near Cape Town.
In 2015, the company acquired the British apparel chain Phase Eight[4][5] from TowerBrook Capital Partners, then valued at £300 million.[6]
In March 2016, TFG acquired the British chain Whistles with its 46 retail shops.[5] In 2017, the company acquired Australian retail company Retail Apparel Group from Navis Capital Partners.[7]
In March 2020, TFG announced that, during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the company would cease to pay rents for its retail locations during the resultant lockdowns in South Africa.[3][8]
During the course of 2020, TFG acquired the chain of Jet stores from an ailing Edcon, further expanding their footprint as a retail conglomerate.
On 5 October 2021, it was reported that TymeBank would open approximately 600 banking service kiosks in TFG retail outlets in 2022.[9][10]
Through a series of investments, TFG has increased its manufacturing capacity in South Africa. By November 2021, it was producing almost three quarters of its apparel locally.[11]