Kaap Agri is unveiling a new logo and brand structure. The 108-year-old agribusiness, which trades in agricultural, fuel and related retail markets, is introducing a refreshed logo and consolidating its trade and retail businesses under one brand. The announcement comes as the JSE-listed group presented a resilient financial performance, declaring a 4.7% increase in gross profit for the financial year.
“Our brand strategy and new look is the result of a year-long brand analysis and design process. Our aim was to find a solution which would simplify our brand structure, improve customer awareness of our brands and have enough built-in flexibility to support our future growth ambitions,” says Kaap Agri CEO Sean Walsh.
“Going forward, Agrimark will be positioned as the main customer-facing brand and the group’s trade and retail businesses will all adopt the Agrimark brand name. This means that existing brands including Agrimark Grain, Pakmark, Liquormark, and Kaap Agri Mechanisation will be retired.
“Alongside our Agrimark stores, our Agrimark brand now includes Agrimark Grain, Agrimark Mechanisation, Agrimark Liquor, Agrimark Packaging, and Agrimark Tyre and Fitment. Agrimark Value-Added Services include Agrimark Financial Services, and the newly-launched Agrimark App. Financial Services is being positioned as a more customer-facing offering and new growth projects will also carry the Agrimark name, like Agrimark Pet, our new standalone pet store, the first of which is scheduled to open in Cape Town in December.”
“Apart from achieving cost efficiencies, moving from several different brands to one main customer-facing brand will ensure our one-stop agri-lifestyle offering becomes more recognisable, especially amongst new customer segments,” says Walsh.
He adds that the consolidated Agrimark brand structure will also benefit the company’s suppliers and their product brands as the group continues to optimise its retail offering.
At a corporate level, the Kaap Agri brand will remain the parent brand and will be focused on employees, the investor community and other external stakeholders.
“Kaap Agri is trusted in the farming community. We’ve built intergenerational connections and the brand carries a lot of historical value,” explains Walsh.
Simplified, modern logos
As part of the strategy, the Kaap Agri logo has been modernised, so that it lives comfortably with an updated Agrimark logo. To signal the brand changes to customers and bring the trading brands together, all of the Agrimark sub-brands will have similar logo treatments.
“We retained the green colour scheme, the circular icon shape, and leaf icon reflective of nature, growth and our strong heritage. We have however modernised and revitalised the font and colours, removed the 3-D features of the icon so that it’s easier to reproduce and made it more open and friendlier,” says Kaap Agri Corporate Affairs Director, Tasneem Sulaiman-Bray.
“Our brand research confirmed that the Agrimark name has an incredibly deep resonance with our customers. The name signifies a strong heritage, with a deeply entrenched value system, long standing relationships with our customers, and customer service par excellence. This brand is true to our past and relevant to our future, whilst still being modern and fresh.”
The company is approaching the brand refresh responsibly and the new identity will be rolled out in a phased manner across the various brand touchpoints.
Connecting over shared lifestyles and passions
Following stakeholder research, Kaap Agri found that it was going to be important for the 108-year-old business to modernise its brand identity to attract a broader customer base, whilst still retaining appeal to its bedrock customer, the commercial farming sector.
“Our Agrimark brand position reflects our agricultural heritage and retail ambitions. Agrimark celebrates and champions a rural way of life. It’s a positioning that goes beyond targeting a demographic and builds a connection with customers over a shared attitude, lifestyle and passion. The agri-lifestyle gives us authenticity and is our differentiator in the retail market. We’re for farmers, families and friends.”
Sulaiman-Bray says that these brand truths will be applied across touchpoints to generate consistent and meaningful brand experiences.
The new brand identity is already being embraced by our employees with the launch of an internal campaign, “Growing Together”.
“For our people, the refreshed brand and iconography is reflective of the positive changes to the business, but also emphasises that there’s a lot that won’t change. Our unifying culture of CARE, our community service, and emphasis on genuine, personal customer service will continue to be at the heart of what we do. Together, with all our stakeholders, we will Plant and Harvest, Dream and Do, Care and Grow.”
