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The Foschini Group & YES: Creating Pathways from Unemployment to Opportunity

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Youth unemployment is one of South Africa’s most pressing socio-economic challenges, with many young people finding it difficult to gain the work experience employers seek. In response to this challenge, The Foschini Group (TFG) has partnered with the Youth Employment Service (YES) — a high-impact, private-sector-led initiative that helps young South Africans gain meaningful work experience and strong career foundations.

What Is the YES Programme?

The Youth Employment Service (YES) is a nationally recognised programme that encourages businesses to create quality full-time work opportunities for South African youth. Designed to tackle youth unemployment, YES matches young jobseekers with 12-month work experience contracts inside reputable companies. It also provides benefits for employers — including improved B-BBEE scorecards and strengthened talent pipelines — while prioritising dignity, skills development, and long-term career prospects for young people.

TFG’s Role and Partnership with YES

As a long-standing corporate partner, The Foschini Group has embraced YES as a strategic extension of its commitment to youth development and social impact. Through this partnership:

• TFG offers 12-month workplace opportunity contracts to unemployed South African youth. These roles span multiple areas within the retail business — such as stores, contact centres, distribution and manufacturing — giving participants a real on-the-job learning environment.

• Young people engaged in the programme also receive work readiness support, including digital training tools accessible via smartphones. In some cases, participants even keep the devices after completing the programme, helping bridge the digital divide and support further development.

• Across several years of participation, TFG has placed thousands of youth into workplace opportunities, with many gaining valuable skills that improve their employability and confidence.

Breaking Barriers, Building Skills

One of the biggest obstacles facing young jobseekers is a lack of practical experience. YES — supported by TFG — helps close that gap by placing youth in roles that expand both technical and soft skills, including customer service, team collaboration, workplace communication and business fundamentals.

Participants often enter the programme with minimal work experience yet leave with a stronger professional profile, workplace references, enhanced confidence and real industry exposure — all critical ingredients for future career success.

Impact Beyond a Year

While the core YES placement lasts 12 months, the programme’s impact frequently extends well beyond:

• Many participants go on to secure full-time employment with TFG or other employers once their YES contract ends.

• The experience often boosts confidence, strengthens career readiness, and enhances future job prospects for youth entering competitive job markets.

• TFG’s participation also contributes to broader economic and transformation goals by developing future leaders and supporting national employment targets.

A Win-Win Partnership

TFG’s engagement with YES illustrates how corporate partnerships can drive meaningful youth empowerment. For young people, it opens doors into formal work environments and builds employable skills. For TFG, it strengthens talent pipelines and aligns with corporate social impact goals. For the country, it makes progress toward reducing youth unemployment and fostering economic inclusion.

In summary: The collaboration between The Foschini Group and the Youth Employment Service is a powerful example of how business and social development initiatives can work together to transform youth prospects and bridge the work-experience gap that so often holds young people back from long-term career success.

The Foschini Group: A Century of Retail Leadership and Innovation

The Foschini Group (commonly known as TFG and historically referred to as The Foschini Group) stands as a remarkable example of South African commercial success — transforming from a local clothing store into a diversified international retail powerhouse.

Origins and Evolution

TFG began in 1924 when its first retail garment store opened in Cape Town, South Africa. From its earliest days, the company focused on bringing quality fashion to local consumers — a principle that has remained central to its growth trajectory for over a century.

Over the decades the business expanded steadily, listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and evolving into a publicly traded retail group with a broad footprint. Today, TFG’s evolution reflects both growth through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, helping the company remain relevant in changing consumer markets.

A Portfolio of Brands and Market Reach

TFG is not defined by a single label — it operates as an investment holding company overseeing a portfolio of dozens of retail brands across several lifestyle categories. These include clothing, jewellery, accessories, sporting and outdoor products, electronics, cosmetics, furniture and homeware.

Some of TFG’s most recognized brands — both in South Africa and abroad — include Foschini, Exact, Fabiani, Granny Goose, Sportscene, TotallySport, Phase Eight, Whistles and many more. The reach of these brands spans millions of customers, and the group operates nearly 5,000 stores across several continents.

TFG also continues to innovate its omnichannel offerings, making products available both in physical stores and online, reflecting modern retail trends that blend in-store experience with digital convenience.

Business Strategy and Values

TFG’s strategy emphasizes:

• Diverse brand positioning: By spreading its footprint across varied market segments — from value fashion to high-end apparel — TFG mitigates risk and maximises consumer reach.

• Omni-channel retailing: Blending physical and digital shopping experiences is a strategic priority as consumer behaviour evolves.

• Customer loyalty and data: With loyalty programmes such as TFG Rewards and platforms like Bash (a lifestyle commerce offering), TFG integrates customer data to drive personalised experiences.

The group also demonstrates a strong social conscience and brand responsibility, using its size to support community initiatives and empowerment programmes.

Leadership and Corporate Governance

Guiding TFG’s long-term vision is a board and executive team composed of experienced leaders from global retail, corporate governance, finance and supply-chain backgrounds. Leadership decisions focus on sustainable growth while navigating both local and global economic cycles.

Economic and Social Impact

As one of South Africa’s largest retail employers, TFG has a significant role in job creation, skills development and economic participation. Its sustained presence in many African markets also makes the group a notable contributor to regional economic integration and consumer culture.

Looking Ahead

TFG’s future strategy appears centred on further strengthening its omnichannel presence, expanding international operations, and maintaining strong relationships with customers through innovation and lifestyle-oriented retail experiences.

As consumer trends continue to shift — especially in digital spaces — the group’s ability to adapt and innovate will remain central to its relevance and growth in the global retail sector.

In summary: The Foschini Group’s journey from a single store in Cape Town to a multi-brand retail conglomerate illustrates enduring business strategy, adaptability and customer focus. Its extensive brand ecosystem, omnichannel evolution, and community engagement position TFG as a mainstay of both South African and international retailing.

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION WITH THE YES PROGRAMME IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TFG