Informal Retail Entrepreneurship Development Programme (IREDP).
Equipping informal retailers and aspiring retail entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills and practical support to build sustainable businesses that compete in the formal marketplace.
Our mission
To equip informal retailers and aspiring retail entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills, and practical support they need to establish, manage, grow and scale sustainable retail businesses that can compete successfully in the formal marketplace.
Our vision
To transform informal retailers into professional retail entrepreneurs who build profitable businesses, create employment, strengthen local economies and contribute to a more inclusive and prosperous South Africa.
We start with respect for what entrepreneurs already know and have built.
We remove the language, paperwork and finance barriers that hold shops back.
Every rand invested is tracked and reported to our partners and community.
IRED PROGRAM NPC
Registration No. 2026/560804/08
Non-Profit Company (NPC), registered under the Companies Act, South Africa.
Registered and compliant, enabling transparent partnership with funders and stakeholders.
Retail as a pathway to wealth creation.
South Africa has hundreds of thousands of informal retailers serving communities every day. While these businesses play a vital role in local economies, many operate purely for survival and never reach their full potential. I-RED was established to change that.
We believe retail is one of the most accessible and powerful pathways to wealth creation, entrepreneurship and job creation. South Africa's retail sector has produced some of the country's most successful business leaders — Natie Kirsh built a global wholesale empire; Christo Wiese developed Shoprite and Pepkor; Ivan Saltzman transformed Dis-Chem into one of the country's largest pharmacy chains.
Their success shows that retail is far more than a means of survival — it is a proven vehicle for building wealth, creating employment and transforming communities. IREDP exists to unlock this same potential within South Africa's informal retail sector by helping entrepreneurs become professional retailers capable of competing, growing and contributing meaningfully to the economy.