知情人士称，Shoprite控股有限公司正在与天达就建立合作伙伴关系进行洽谈，这家非洲最大的杂货零售商正寻求扩大向数百万客户提供的金融服务。
Holdings Ltd. is said to be in talks with Investec about a partnership as Africa’s largest grocer seeks to expand the financial services it offers millions of customers, according to people familiar with the matter.
这些因洽谈属于保密而要求匿名的知情人士表示，两家公司的讨论仍在进行中。他们说，任何协议的结构仍在制定中，且不确定能否达成交易。
Discussions between the companies are ongoing, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The structure of any agreement is still being worked out and there’s no certainty a deal will be reached, they said.
Shoprite对此事拒绝置评，并补充称，有关任何商业合作的信息将在敲定后向市场公布。天达也拒绝置评，称该行不对猜测进行评论。
Shoprite declined to comment on the matter, adding that information regarding any business partnerships will be shared with the market as it becomes available. Investec also declined, saying the bank does not comment on speculation.
此次合作将加速Shoprite深入进军金融服务的步伐，而无需这家零售商自身成为一家银行。天达可以提供扩大Shoprite业务所需的科技和监管专业知识，以及其他持牌借贷服务。
A tie-up would accelerate Shoprite’s push deeper into financial services without requiring the retailer to become a bank itself. Investec could provide the technology and regulatory expertise needed to broaden Shoprite’s offering, along with other licensed lending services.
Shoprite拥有南非规模最大的消费者交易数据池之一和全国分销网络。这家零售商对客户消费模式和购物行为的洞察，可以帮助支持奖励和支付等领域的开发。
Shoprite contributes one of South Africa’s largest pools of consumer transaction data and a national distribution network. The retailer’s insights into customers’ spending patterns and shopping behavior could help support the development of products in areas such as rewards and payments.
在此背景下，南非最大的零售商、保险公司、银行和电信公司正日益融合，以便向更庞大的客户群体提供更优质的服务。
The move comes as South Africa’s largest retailers, insurers, banks and telecommunications companies increasingly converge to offer better quality services to bigger groups of customers.
零售商已经积累了广泛的客户数据，拥有值得信赖的品牌和实体分销网络，这使他们能够提供由银行和电信公司开发的日益丰富的金融产品。
Retailers have amassed extensive customer data, have trusted brands and physical distribution networks, positioning them to offer a growing range of financial products that can be developed by banks and telecommunications companies.
Shoprite首席执行官彼得·恩格尔布雷希特多次表示，该公司希望在其生态系统中捕获更多流动的金融活动，但对成为一家成熟的借贷机构兴趣不大。
Shoprite Chief Executive Officer Pieter Engelbrecht has repeatedly said the company wants to capture more of the financial activity flowing through its ecosystem, but has little interest in becoming a fully fledged lender.
恩格尔布雷希特在9月1日的一次采访中表示：“我追求的是交易。我们不是银行家，我们是零售商。”Shoprite已经采取措施支持这一战略。该公司收购了R&A Cellular公司51%的初始股权，这是一 家技术和支付业务企业，其销售终端设备被非正式贸易商使用，该交易于8月生效。此次收购为Shoprite分销金融服务提供了另一个渠道。
“I am after the transaction,” Engelbrecht said in an interview on Sept. 1. “We are not bankers, we are retailers.”Shoprite has already taken steps to support that strategy. The company acquired an initial 51% stake in R&A Cellular, a technology and payments business whose point-of-sale devices are used by informal traders, in a deal that became effective in August. The acquisition provides another channel through which Shoprite could distribute financial services.
该零售商还与非洲银行有限公司合作开展日常银行业务，以支持其货币市场账户，该账户允许客户存取现金、转账和购物。Shoprite还一直在测试与该账户关联的万事达卡借记卡。
The retailer also works with African Bank Ltd. on some every day banking services underpinning its Money Market Account, which allows customers to deposit and withdraw cash, transfer money and make purchases. Shoprite has also been testing a Mastercard Inc. debit card linked to the account.
与天达达成协议可能会为该集团的雄心增加更多专业化的银行业务和金融科技专业知识，使Shoprite能够从基础交易服务扩展到更广泛的金融服务领域。
An agreement with Investec would potentially add more specialized banking and fintech expertise to the group’s ambitions, enabling Shoprite to expand beyond basic transaction services into a broader range of financial-services.
恩格尔布雷希特说：“全面的银行业务，我认为最好留给银行家去做。”
“Full-fledged banking, I think, is better left to the bankers,” Engelbrecht said.