Paul Swainson, Travelex Director for Africa

Travelex is the world’s biggest foreign exchange company, serving a customer somewhere in the world every three seconds. Now this will include customers from South Africa for the very first time.

Paul Swainson, Travelex Director for Africa, says, “Travelex has been keen to enter the Southern African retail market for some time. We have been looking for the right partner with the right experience, and with FX Africa, we finally found it.”

He says that the South African market is unique in that it is a “powerhouse in terms of the rest of Africa”, and offers entry to markets with huge growth potential.

At the same time, visitors leaving South Africa are usually going on long-haul trips, and are therefore potentially good customers of retail foreign exchange. Swainson says that what impressed Travelex about FX Africa was that “they’re entrepreneurial, they have a lot of get up an go, and they are at the right time in the evolution of their business.”

Travelex was started by businessman Lloyd Dorfman with a single bureau in central London in 1976, and is now operating more than 700 branches on every continent. The company is still growing.

“The benefits to the customer of the partnership are a global consistency of approach,” says Swainson, and a personal touch. “Our staff are not just cashiers. We are aiming to build a rapport with our customers, to understand their needs and habits, and to provide some information about destinations. We are seeking to build long-term relationships with our clients.”

Swainson says Travelex has four “brand ambassadors” who embody the excellence of the company: tennis ace, John McEnroe, cricket players Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee, and rugby player Jonny Wilkinson.

“They embody integrity, striving to be the best, and a never-give-up attitude. That is what Travelex is all about.”