Incredible Connection
Incredible Connection is a South African consumer-electronics retail brand with stores across Africa.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Incredible Connection is a South African consumer-electronics retailer focused on computers, technology products, and related consumer electronics. The brand traces its retail history to the broader Software Connection business established in Johannesburg in 1989 by Australian entrepreneurs Michael Glezerson and Michael David Smith. The first store operating under the Incredible Connection name opened in Woodmead, Johannesburg, in 1995. The brand developed during a period in which personal computers and packaged software were becoming increasingly accessible to South African consumers. Its retail model centered on physical stores offering technology products and advice to household, education, and business customers. The available reference material does not provide a detailed breakdown of its current merchandise mix, services, digital-commerce activities, or customer segmentation, so those aspects cannot be described reliably in greater detail. A significant ownership transition occurred on 15 December 1998, when Incredible Connection was acquired by Connection Group Holdings Limited, which was itself a subsidiary of JD Group Limited. This placed the retailer within a larger South African retail structure and supported its subsequent store expansion. The company was reported to operate 34 stores in 2005, rising to 78 stores by 2018. The reference material describes the business as having approximately 75 stores and operations across Africa, although it does not specify the precise countries represented or explain the later change in the reported store count. Incredible Connection is currently associated with Pepkor, a major South African retail investment and holding group. The brand remains positioned as a specialist technology retailer rather than a general merchandise chain. Its identity is built around consumer access to computing and electronics products through a dedicated retail network. No reliable information was supplied about a separate legal entity, current senior leadership, revenue, stock-market listing, official website, or detailed recent strategy. Those fields are therefore left unspecified rather than inferred.
History
Incredible Connection is a South African consumer-electronics retail brand whose origins are linked to Software Connection, a Johannesburg business founded in 1989 by Australian entrepreneurs Michael Glezerson and Michael David Smith. The original Software Connection store was located in Sandton, Johannesburg. This early business established the local retail foundation from which the later Incredible Connection format developed. The first store using the Incredible Connection name opened in Woodmead, Johannesburg, in 1995. The launch placed the brand in the growing market for personal computers, software, peripherals, and other technology products. The available historical account does not provide a complete description of the original store format or explain the precise relationship between Software Connection and the Incredible Connection brand, but it identifies the 1995 opening as the start of Incredible Connection under its current name. On 15 December 1998, the retailer was acquired by Connection Group Holdings Limited. Connection Group Holdings was itself a subsidiary of JD Group Limited, bringing Incredible Connection into a broader South African retail ownership structure. The acquisition was an important corporate milestone because it moved the brand beyond its entrepreneurial origins and connected it to a larger retail group. The supplied reference material does not state the transaction value, the precise ownership percentage, or any immediate changes to management or store operations. The chain expanded during the following decade. It was reported to operate 34 stores in 2005. By 2018, the reported network had grown to 78 stores. A separate description identifies the business as having approximately 75 stores and operations across Africa. Because the available material does not reconcile these different store counts or identify the countries outside South Africa, the figures should be treated as period-specific reports rather than as a single definitive current total. Incredible Connection is described as being headquartered in Marlboro, Gauteng, and as operating across Africa. Its retail proposition is centered on consumer electronics and computing products. The available sources do not document specific private-label ranges, major product launches, marketing campaigns, financial results, executive appointments, controversies, or detailed online-retail strategy. The brand is currently owned by Pepkor, a major South African retail investment and holding company. No reliable source material supplied for this entry establishes the date or mechanism by which Pepkor became the owner. Accordingly, the corporate history is documented through the 1998 acquisition and the current Pepkor ownership relationship without adding unsupported transaction details.
- 2018
Store network reaches 78 locations
[1]The reported store network grows to 78 locations.
- 2005
Store network reaches 34 locations
[1]The retailer is reported to operate 34 stores.
- 1998
Acquisition by Connection Group Holdings
[1]On 15 December, Connection Group Holdings Limited acquires Incredible Connection. Connection Group Holdings is a subsidiary of JD Group Limited.
- 1995
First Incredible Connection store opens
[1]The first store under the Incredible Connection name opens in Woodmead, Johannesburg.
- 1989
Software Connection is founded
[1]Australian entrepreneurs Michael Glezerson and Michael David Smith establish Software Connection in Johannesburg, with an original store in Sandton.
Products and positioning
A specialist South African consumer-technology retailer serving consumers and other retail customers through a dedicated store network.
Computing hardware
Personal computers
Personal computers are part of the retailer's core technology proposition. The supplied sources identify Incredible Connection as a consumer-electronics retailer but do not specify particular manufacturers, configurations, or current model ranges.
Computing accessories
Computer accessories and peripherals
The brand's specialist technology-retail format includes computer accessories and peripherals associated with personal-computing use. Specific product lines and brands are not identified in the supplied reference material.
Software
Packaged software
The business originated as Software Connection, linking its early retail identity to packaged software and computing products. The available sources do not establish which software publishers or product families were sold under the Incredible Connection name.
Consumer electronics
Consumer electronics
Incredible Connection is broadly categorized as a consumer-electronics retailer. The reference material does not provide a reliable current catalogue or identify specific flagship electronics ranges.
Brand decisions
1998
Sale to Connection Group HoldingsM&ABackground
Incredible Connection had developed from the Johannesburg-based Software Connection business and was expanding its specialist technology-retail presence.
Action taken
Connection Group Holdings Limited acquired Incredible Connection on 15 December 1998. Connection Group Holdings was a subsidiary of JD Group Limited.
Aftermath
The transaction placed the brand within a larger retail group, after which the store network continued to expand. The supplied sources do not provide transaction financials or detailed integration outcomes.
Recent events
Surface Laptop 4 becomes available in South Africa[2]
Reported:
Microsoft introduced the Surface Laptop 4 in South Africa, where it became available to consumers through Incredible Connection and Vodacom stores.
ASUS announces planned South Africa launch of E210, E410 and E510 laptops[3]
Reported:
ASUS South Africa announced plans to launch the E210, E410 and E510 laptops through Vodacom and Incredible Connection, with an estimated on-shelf date at the end of August 2020.
Sources3 sources
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