Kim Reid hopes South Africa’s large retail chains don’t notice him. Or, more specifically, he hopes the likes of Shoprite, Pick n Pay and Massmart don’t notice his company’s stealthy rise in the retail sector. That company is online retailer Takealot.

Although ecommerce has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years, Takealot has been the star performer. It has grown at 90% over the past four years, now sells over 3.5 million products, has generated R2.3 billion in annual revenue and employs 1 200 people.