A supermarket in the Karoo town of Colesberg literally rose from the ashes to claim a retail chain’s title of best in the province for the second time in three years.
The tongue-in-cheek explanation by co-owner and financial manager Imanuela Rodrigues Wilson, “I’m Portuguese – we know how to run a corner shop!”, hardly covers the journey.
On April 1, 2019, the building that today houses their award-winning business burnt to the ground.
Imanuela’s dad José-Antonio Rodrigues, who has run businesses alongside his wife Zita all their life, decided to rebuild it, proposing to the family that they open SaveMor and TOPS at SPAR outlets on the site.
However, both his daughter and son Ayrton went off to “evaluate” their lives at the time.
“My brother lived in Bloemfontein and I in Aliwal North,” Imanuela, who was pregnant at the time, recalls.
“Then my father got cancer and we decided to do this for him. So we all moved to Colesberg – my three-month-old (Zita-Marie), husband, brother and I.”
The family behind SaveMor Colesberg are, from left, Ayrton Rodrigues (buying manager), Lienke Rodrigues (floor manager), Imanuela Rodrigues Wilson (financial manager) and Jean-Pierre Wilson (buying manager). Photo: Supplied
From the get-go the family set about giving the store an upmarket look and, together, created a retail space more reminiscent of a big-city supermarket than one of the SPAR Group’s budget-friendly brands.
The belief, Imanuela says, is that everyone should have the opportunity to buy groceries in a good-looking shop as it says “you are welcome no matter what your basket size” is.
Evidently, the judging panel agree.
The store, which won the title of best SaveMor in the Eastern Cape region in both 2023 and 2025, currently employs 38 people, all of whom are from the town situated at the confluence of the N1 and N9.
Imanuela admits the family are pleasantly surprised at how the outlet has developed over the years.
The fact that her dad has lived in Colesberg since the age of four naturally makes him a much-loved figure among locals.
“The community support him and support his family,” she says.
When they first set up shop, and especially because the store was “at the bottom of town”, they expected most of their customers to be drawn from the lower-LSM households.
What has in fact happened is that residents from all over the Northern Cape settlement frequent SaveMor & TOPS Colesberg.
“Now we cater to all LSMs,” Imanuela, who admits every day is part of the learning curve, says.
“It can be challenging but SPAR gives you the stock coverage to help you get into the flow of what your customers need.”
Her dad and mom are still involved in the day-to-day operations of the family business, which also includes her sister-in-law Lienke.
Imanuela believes that the SaveMor concept is just perfect to service the needs of a town the size of Colesberg.
But they are “definitely looking out for more [retail] ventures” in other parts of the province.