26-05-2025
Small black-owned furniture businesses urged to apply to take part in 2025 SME Accelerator
Black-owned SMEs in areas such as bedding, crockery, lighting, carved wooden items, upholstery, and bespoke artwork printing are encouraged to apply to take part in the eThekwini Furniture Cluster (EFC) SME Accelerator.
Image: Pexels
Black-owned small businesses in the furniture and homeware sector have been urged to apply to take part in the 2025 eThekwini Furniture Cluster (EFC) SME Accelerator as they may get the chance to pitch their products directly to decision-makers from big retailers.
The EFC SME Accelerator is supported by the eThekwini Municipality's Economic Development Programme & Planning Unit.
Four of the country's major retailers and manufacturers, Mr Price Home, Homewood, Pepkor Lifestyle and Poetry of Living are participating in this year's programme.
Titus Mazibuko, eThekwini's Economic Development programme manager for furniture said as a key contributor to employment and GDP growth, the furniture industry in KwaZulu-Natal plays a vital role in the regional economy.
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'Initiatives like the EFC SME Accelerator highlight the impact effective collaboration between government and the private sector can have in helping the industry to grow,' Mazibuko added.
Mazibuko said connecting high-potential small businesses with opportunities that can elevate them to national and even global markets lies in the long-term growth it enables not just for individual entrepreneurs, but for the broader communities and industries they support.
Selected SMEs will get a rare chance to pitch their products directly to decision-makers from the four participating furniture and homeware retailers and manufacturers and will also benefit from coaching, business support, and the opportunity to win cash prizes.
Since 2021, the programme has seen 14 SMEs pitching to major retailers, 15 commercial opportunities unlocked, and one SME securing expansion funding through the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Participants have also benefited from coaching, diagnostic assessments, and industry support.
