Altron Chairman Dr Bill Venter together with Altron Chief Executive Robbie Venter have congratulated PEP on reaching the key milestone of 50 years in business, in the same year that Altron has achieved this milestone.PEP Stores was founded from humble beginnings in 1965 and has grown to be one of South Africas largest and most respected retailers, particularly within the retail clothing sector.According to Dr Venter, central to the lifespan of any company is its value proposition and business case; how it successfully manages its assets; how it is regarded by the investor community in the case of it being listed; and bottom line profitability.Measured against these benchmarks, PEP has continuously stood out amongst its peers as a world-class organisation. Statistically, PEPs continued existence and performance in the face of a volatile global economic climate is extraordinary, Dr Venter said.Both Altron leaders attributed the continued success of PEP over the past 50 years to a well-executed strategy built on sound business principles together with the collective efforts and excellence of its executives, management and staff.The PEP brand, according to Robbie Venter, is known to the majority of South Africans from all walks of life, and the organisation, said Venter, has built a considerable volume of brand equity through hard work, commitment and dedication.It is a credit to the vision of the founders of PEP, together with its past and current management and staff, that the organisation is not merely around 50 years since its founding, but that it is stronger than ever before and is a recognised market leader, added Venter.Bytes Managed Solutions, part of the Altron group of companies, is a key partner to PEP, having recently secured a multi-year deal to deliver Point-of-Sale and Back Office IT service solutions to PEPs parent company, Pepkor. One of the key objectives of the deal for Pepkor was the adoption of a single IT service provider for the group to ensure consistency, reliability and quality of service underscored by cost optimisation through the realisation of economies of scale.