As artificial intelligence reshapes industries worldwide, one of South Africa’s most established retailers is taking a notably different path.
Lewis — the country’s largest furniture chain, valued at R4.5 billion on the JSE — has drawn a clear line in the sand: technology should support workers, not replace them.
In an era where automation often signals job cuts, Lewis is doubling down on its people-first philosophy.
The company, which has been synonymous with furniture retailing in South Africa since its founding in Cape Town in 1934, now employs almost 11 000 permanent staff across its trading brands including Lewis, Best Home & Electric, Beares, UFO, Real Beds and Bedzone.
A human-centred approach to AI
As technological capabilities evolve, Lewis has committed to what it calls a “just transition” — ensuring that employees can adapt to rapidly changing technology without fear of displacement.
The group’s approach ensures that roles are supported, not displaced, by AI. This reflects its belief that technology enhances human potential, it does not replace it, and preserves the sense of humanity that defines the group’s customer engagement model.
This isn’t just rhetoric.
Lewis Group CEO Johan Enslin put it succinctly:
“People come to see the team, not the technology… Lewis is, and always will be, a people business.”
The company’s sustainability journey is rooted in this very principle.
Across brands and regions, Lewis describes itself as a people business: technology helps people work smarter, but it is empathy, warmth and authenticity that bring customers back. Unity and a culture of upliftment continue to define how the Group serves, leads and grows — keeping the human connection at the centre of everything it does.
Technology with a human face
Lewis executes its strategy through a decentralised store-based operating model supported by sophisticated, technology-driven controls, which has demonstrated its resilience through all economic cycles.
A combination of store-based collections, an integrated debit order payment strategy and a dedicated collections call centre delivers a high proportion of satisfactory paying customers and consistently solid collection rates.
The company’s digital transformation is already well underway. In 2026, Lewis continued to invest in skills development, leadership development and recognition frameworks that reinforce accountability, empathy and high-performance. These efforts further strengthened a culture of listening, learning and collective growth across the business.
Lewis key engagement areas for 2026 as stated in its lates integrtaed annual report include assessing the effectiveness of controls for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, implementing the revised retail sector targets of the Employment Equity Amendment Act, and addressing cybersecurity readiness alongside the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence.
A growing workforce, not a shrinking one
While many retailers turn to automation to cut costs, Lewis has gone in the opposite direction.
The increase in Lewis’s total workforce to almost 11 000 employees is primarily driven by the continued expansion of the group’s store footprint, alongside broader business growth and the scaling of customer-facing call centre operations.
This growth reflects the group’s continued focus on strengthening customer experience capacity and ensuring that every customer interaction is met with humanity, care and responsiveness.
People are the group’s strength, the company says. People underpin the Group’s long-term performance and differentiation.
The depth of that commitment is evident in the numbers: the group is proud to have more than 1 800 employees with over 10 years of service. This depth of tenure is a powerful reflection of the culture of belonging, stability and shared purpose within the organisation. It demonstrates that people do not just work at Lewis — they build their careers and lives there.
Investing in people, not replacing them
Lewis’s commitment to its workforce extends far beyond keeping jobs intact. The company is investing heavily in developing its people.
19 employees completed the senior management development programme in the past year, with 98% of training spend directed towards previously disadvantaged employees.
Lewis believes that learning is a journey — that shapes not only skills, but also identity. These outcomes reinforce the Group’s customer-centric culture and complement formal training by recognising applied behaviours.
The Great Employee Movement (GEM) campaign was established to encourage and recognise employees who demonstrate a strong commitment to service excellence. The initiative reinforces the Group’s focus on delivering consistent, high-quality customer service across all levels of the organisation.
The management team is committed to customer care and satisfaction and expects the same standard from all employees. To support this, the Group’s head office service excellence team evaluates service standards, while managers implement recognition programmes that reward and incentivize employees who deliver outstanding customer experiences.
As part of the group’s social licence and ethics mandate, Lewis actively recognises and rewards behaviours that reinforce its values, through initiatives such as the GEM service excellence campaign, long-service awards and leadership performance recognition. These programmes strengthen organisational culture and anchor employee engagement within the group’s broader sustainability oversight.
The business case for keeping humans at the centre
Lewis’s approach is not just altruistic — it makes commercial sense. The company’s resilience through economic cycles, including cost-of-living crises, record interest rates, load shedding and supply chain challenges, has been widely recognised.
The company’s social media presence tells a similar story of growth and engagement. Sales generated from social media accounted for approximately 11% of the group’s merchandise sales in the past year, while the Group’s following on social media increased by 20.8% to 4.8 million. Traditional brands increased their combined following on Facebook and Instagram to 3.6 million, an increase of 18.5% on the prior year.
A model for the future of work
Lewis is also investing in the next generation of talent through partnerships with training institutions. A long-running collaboration with redAcademy, now entering its fourth year, combines real-world software development training with on-the-job exposure to live projects across Lewis Group’s business. More than 90% of redAcademy’s total graduates have been employed in IT teams after graduation, with seven employed at Lewis Group.
Sustainability in action
Lewis has also accelerated the integration of sustainability into both customer engagement and operational processes.
A significant digital shift reduced paper consumption and emissions, including delivering the majority of monthly customer statements via SMS and rolling out digital marketing campaigns, replacing historically paper-driven channels.
The group also advanced its energy-efficiency strategy, completing a 25-store pilot of smart meters. Real-time data insights have already shaped behavioural interventions to curb energy use, with potential for a broader rollout once the pilot results are fully assessed.
In a world where AI is increasingly seen as a threat to jobs, Lewis is proving that technology and humanity can work hand in hand. The company’s message is clear: AI should enhance human potential, not replace it. And with almost 11 000 employees, 1 800 long-serving staff members, and a growing store footprint, Lewis is putting its money where its mouth is.
Lewis is, and always will be, a people business.
