Andre Klynsmith

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One Shop per 67 000 People: The Collection Counter Is Rewriting African Last-Mile Economics

African courier logistics is shifting from a door-to-door model to a network model, and the reason is structural rather than technological: streets without signage, addresses that do not exist on maps, crime, congestion and road quality all make the last hundred metres the most expensive part of the trip.

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7 September 2026 • 5 min read

Africa has roughly one shop for every 67 000 people, against one for every thousand in the United States. That retail gap — not e-commerce fashion — is what is pulling parcel volumes into collection counters and locker banks across the continent.

The demand is upcountry, not in the metros

Jumia chief executive Francis Dufay cites the one-shop-per-67 000-people figure as the reason his platform's growth is coming from outside the big cities. Some 61% of orders in the fourth quarter of 2025 were placed in upcountry regions where, in his words, product choice for consumers is currently extremely limited.

The logistics arm built to serve that demand now spans eight countries, works with a network of more than 230 logistics partners — from individual entrepreneurs to large companies — and operates over 2 400 pick-up and drop-off stations. Around 70 000 active sellers list some 6.5 million products on the marketplace it serves.

South Africa's network is already dense — and hardening into lockers

Pargo pioneered the model locally by turning thousands of existing retail locations into parcel nodes, and has used click-and-collect to take courier delivery into township markets where door-to-door economics never worked. Takealot has partnered with Pick n Pay to add collection points alongside its own Pickup Points.

The next step is already visible: staffed counters are being replaced by unattended lockers in many areas. Pudo, by The Courier Guy, operates more than 1 100 electronic smart lockers across South Africa, while Bob Box runs carrier-agnostic locker banks that independent couriers and merchants can plug into. Agnostic infrastructure is the more interesting development for smaller operators, because it means access to the network does not require owning it.

The maths that makes it work

A traditional courier route requires a vehicle to make many individual stops — and to come back tomorrow when nobody was home to sign. A pick-up point converts that into a single trip from the warehouse delivering multiple parcels to one address that is always open and always findable. Failed-delivery redeliveries, the quiet killer of last-mile margin, largely disappear.

The environmental claim needs a caveat, and the industry is making it honestly. A 2026 logistics study found that pick-up-point models can reduce emissions by consolidating deliveries, but noted that the overall advantage depends partly on how far customers travel to collect their parcels. In dense township and small-town settings where the counter is at the shop people already walk to, the saving holds. Where collection means a dedicated car trip across town, it erodes.

About the Author
	Andre Klynsmith Entrepreneur & Technology Enthusiast Andre's expertise spans technology, blockchain, transport, and logistics — with a passion for innovation and driving positive change across industries. info@laaimylorrie.com | laaimylorrie.com