A household name in South Africa since 1965, local budget fashion retailed PEP has refreshed its iconic logo.
The largest single brand clothing retailer in Africa embarked on a refresh of its branding which will be rolled out in a phased approach across its more than 2 350 stores.
“This is much more than simply a logo change, it’s a bold statement of our confidence in the future of PEP and of the country,” said CEO Jaap Hamman.
“Our goal is to provide continued employment for more than 17 000 people and to provide exceptional value for our millions of customers at a time when they need it more than ever,” he concluded.
The new identity will be expressed in every touchpoint of PEP’s communications across the business, including PEP CELL and PEP HOME.
The new branding has been a long time coming. But like everything else, the change was met with some push back on social media.
One Twitter user compared the new logo to that of Discom, a local retail brand which has since been discontinued in South Africa.
Others said it resembled a new political party slogan.
Check out some of the responses below:
The new PEP logo 😂 okare ya Discom
— Dime (@Dime_M_) August 20, 2020
It will take some time getting used to the new Pep logo 😏😏 pic.twitter.com/jNHhGI16xq
— 🇿🇦 Herchelle (@_HerchelleR) August 20, 2020
Mna can I please have a chat with the brand strategist and the creative plus management who approved the concept, I just wanna ask a few questions 🤔🤧 I don't like this logo, something about it does say PEP like the brand identity & image they've maintained on being over the yrs https://t.co/Mla6UTjxYh
Overall, the responses seem to have been positive with many welcoming the change.
I love it!! The simpler the better. PEP’s style/tradition has always been about the concept of being simple, as simple as possible. So this new logo is very fitting. Well done to the designers for capturing the spirit of the company.
— Sisabulela Kula (@sisabulela) August 20, 2020
Pep’s new logo chat will make you realize how people are so resistant to change
— Vee (@vchilimanzi) August 18, 2020