Behind-the-scenes look at Takealot’s massive distribution centre

Takealot is set to receive a R960-million investment from Naspers, making the media giant its majority shareholder.

Should the Competition Commission approve the transaction, Takealot said the money will be used to get it to cash flow break-even.

To provide an idea of the scale of its operation and what it will be upgrading as it grows, Takealot provided MyBroadband with access to its Johannesburg distribution centre.

Takealot operates two large distributions centres – one in Cape Town and one in Johannesburg – and employs over 1,200 staff.

Several upgrades at the centres have been completed, with more underway to better handle the peak holiday shopping season (October to December).

Takealot plans to streamline its warehouses so that pickers don’t have to traverse long distances.

Currently, a single order can take a picker all over the distribution centre.

With the upgrade, Takealot pickers will place goods from their section onto a conveyor, which will carry it to a point where orders are consolidated.

Photos and videos of Takealot’s Johannesburg centre are below.

Takealot warehouse floor

Receiving

Packing stations

Conveyors

New “speed picking” system under construction

Conveyor carrying orders to packing stations

Conveyor carrying packaged orders to dispatch

Kim Reid photo: Debbie Yasbek

Now read: What Takealot plans to do with its R960-million cash injection