Article - Corporate Gifts Pretoria

25 Mar 2021

 

Pretoria Provider of First-Rate Corporate Gifts

 

Pretoria, the executive capital city of South Africa, fondly known as the Jacaranda City by locals, is undoubtedly a perfect location for one of this country’s leading suppliers of corporate gifts and additional invaluable corporate items.

 

Comprehensive Collections

 

This supplier (and manufacturer) is of course the XCO Group. The Group offers a multitude of corporate products, as well as promotional items that make perfect gifts. Even some of our more sophisticated essential products, most of which are vital to contain and combat the spread of coronavirus and other potentially hazardous agents, may currently make ideal, essential corporate gifts, if thoughtfully selected, creatively branded, packaged and wrapped.  

 

A Pretoria Retail Outlet’s Journey

 

Way back in 1987, when our company first opened its doors to customers in Pretoria as Sportoria, (a combination of “Sport” and “Pretoria”), a single sportswear retail outlet, customers would have had to look for corporate gifts elsewhere. Perhaps they searched for a gift supplier in Pretoria, possibly further afield.

 

Maybe their quest took them to Johannesburg, as the City of Gold was by then the seat of many major national and international corporate headquarters, as well as being accorded the status of the primary economic hub of Gauteng and South Africa - the country’s centre for corporate business.

 

However, our Sportoria journey and evolution into becoming the multifaceted, successful XCO Group was underway, albeit in its infancy.

 

This begs the question – how did XCO Group grow from its humble beginnings in Pretoria, into a mega giant with an invaluable staff complement of more than 200 talented people, and offers more than 130 brands across an online catalogue product range of some 230 000 items, which includes corporate gifts galore – and still located in the city we call home – Pretoria?

 

Many of the answers are contained in our collective attitude and beliefs, as well as our foresight and healthy, step-by-step journey of gradual progression, introducing new products and establishing new divisions and companies to become a Group, (instead of retaining a single entity), as and when the timing was – and is – optimal.

 

Attitude and Beliefs

·         Have a realistic vision and aspirations, which are not focused on self-serving aspects of endeavour

·         We believe that our corporate customers deserve the best possible service and efficiency

·         Quality and value-for-money gift and other product solutions

·         Prompt, reliable turnaround times

·         Convenient corporate gift shopping, which is often a downright headache for many a business

·         We’ve not rushed into expanding our Group just for the sake of becoming bigger; our journey has taken us there, in response to our customers’ needs

·         We always keep our collective ear to the ground and eye on the ball, taking note of market trends, customers’ comments and wishes, what our industry is currently offering and how we can innovate to satisfy, marry and improve on these elements – to benefit our corporate customers and, in the case of gift giving, pleasing the recipients of their gifts, (their own clients), too

 

Journey from Inception to Group Status

 

·         1987 - Sportoria opens its retail shop doors in Pretoria for the very first time, seldom, if ever, thinking that we had just embarked on an incredible journey to times, places and innovations as yet undreamed of in Pretoria  

·         1990 – Began trading with 27 schools as a wholesale supplier, retaining the name “Sportoria”

·         1994 – Continue trading as Sportoria, and establishing our factory, embroidery and screen printing studio, thereby eliminating the need to engage subcontractors for corporate branding purposes, while enabling us to enlarge our ranges with products manufactured in-house, over which we had/have direct control – at our home base, in Pretoria

·         1998 – Into the heart of cricket we went, establishing Cricket Direct at the renowned cricket ground, Supersport Park in Centurion, adjacent to Pretoria

·         1999 – Our close association with sport continues with the establishment of a Blue Bulls rugby and merchandise shop at Loftus Versfeld, the iconic home of Pretoria rugby

·         2000 and 2002 – Appointed as official supplier to Team Gauteng North and Team SA, respectively

·         2006 – XCO Sport, our institutional wholesale company, is formed   

·         2014 – We become a fully-fledged group of companies, the XCO Group, when we launch 4 divisions – Sport, Workwear, Exposure and Corporate – the latter division incorporating promotional gifts

 

XCO Group wishes to make your journey of discovery into finding perfect corporate gifts in Pretoria easy, convenient, accurate and as quick as you like. Our gift and associated promotional items are accordingly categorised on this website, in our online wholesale catalogue, your guide to quality corporate gifts in Pretoria.