Published by Maranda van Dam | Fancy Inc
When Rohloff Group was named KFC Africa’s Franchise Partner of the Year and opened their 100th restaurant, it was a milestone celebrated across the industry. For us at Fancy Inc, it was also a personal one.
We have been Rohloff’s branded merchandise partner for eight years. Watching a franchise network grow from a handful of locations to over 100 restaurants across South Africa, while playing a behind-the-scenes role in that journey, is exactly why we do what we do.
This post is about what that kind of branded merchandise partnership for a franchise business actually involves, and why the supplier relationship matters more than most people realise when a brand is scaling at pace.
The Real Challenge of Scaling a Franchise Network
Franchise growth looks exciting from the outside. From the inside, it is operationally demanding in ways that are easy to underestimate.
Every new store opening is a brand moment. Staff need to be correctly kitted out from day one. The right branded items need to be at the right location, on time, and to an exact standard. When Rohloff was opening five stores in six weeks during late 2025, there was no room for merchandise delays, incorrect stock, or a supplier that needed to be re-briefed at every step.
At that pace, a transactional supplier becomes a liability. A franchise network at scale needs a branded merchandise partner who already knows the brand, holds the standard independently, and can execute without hand-holding.
That is the role Fancy Inc has played for Rohloff Group.
What We Actually Do as a Franchise Branded Merchandise Partner
Over eight years, Fancy Inc has managed the full branded merchandise function for Rohloff Group — from product development through to direct distribution to each store location via our own distribution network.
This includes:
Staff clothing and uniforms, correctly branded, consistent across all locations, delivered directly to each store.
Staff recognition and event merchandise, items that reflect the internal culture Rohloff has built, not generic off-the-shelf products.
Campaign management from concept to completion, Fancy Inc takes a brief and handles product development, manufacture, custom packaging, and distribution. Rohloff’s management team does not chase multiple vendors or track production timelines. We manage the entire process.
The result is that branded merchandise has never been a problem in eight years of working together. It has simply been handled.
Why Brand Standard Matters More at 100 Locations Than at 15
Rohloff Group has been recognised by KFC Africa for operational excellence, by CIPS for procurement and supply chain collaboration, and by their own franchisor for the culture they have created internally. These are organisations that hold everything to a measurable standard.
Brand merchandise is a physical expression of that standard.
The uniform a team member puts on in the morning is part of how they show up for work. The branded items that appear at staff events either reinforce the culture Rohloff has built or they undermine it. There is no neutral ground.
Getting this right at 15 stores is manageable with a basic supplier relationship. Getting it right at 100 stores, across multiple provinces, with rapid expansion still underway, requires something fundamentally different: a centralised, consistent, managed partnership with a supplier who holds the brand standard as seriously as the client does.
This is the gap that a proper branded merchandise partner fills, and the gap that a transactional supplier cannot.
The Results That Speak for This Approach
Rohloff Group is KFC Africa’s Franchise Partner of the Year 2024. They are Culture Leader of the Year. They are award-winners in digital innovation and procurement excellence. They are creating jobs and opening stores at a rate that is genuinely impressive for the South African franchise landscape.
Fancy Inc does not take credit for any of that. Rohloff’s people built that business, and built it well.
What we can say is this: over eight years, branded merchandise has never been the weak link. It has been one less thing to manage in an operation that demands everything be managed well.
“Professional and thorough. Great time working with the team at Fancy Inc.” Rohloff Management Team
What This Means for Franchise Businesses Looking for a Merchandise Partner
The Rohloff relationship is not unique to Rohloff. It is how Fancy Inc approaches every franchise and multi-location client.
If you are managing a franchise network — whether you are at 10 locations or 100 — branded merchandise should not be something that consumes management bandwidth. Staff clothing, promotional items, and branded gifting should arrive correctly, on time, to standard, every time. When it does not, the brand pays the price.
At Fancy Inc we have been delivering exactly that for franchise clients across South Africa for over 25 years. If your current supplier is costing you time and attention you cannot afford to give, it may be time to have a different conversation.
Get in touch with the Fancy Inc team — we are based in Mossel Bay and serve clients nationally.
Rohloff Group was recently featured in Africa Outlook Magazine for their growth across South Africa.https://www.africaoutlookmag.com/food-beverage/rohloff-group-finger-lickin-success
Maranda van Dam is the owner of Fancy Inc (www.fancyinc.co.za), a branded promotional products, merchandise, uniform and corporate gifting company based in Mossel Bay, South Africa, serving clients nationally for over 25 years.
