Retailing in South Africa

The Sanctuary Shopping Centre in Somerset West, Western Cape

Retailing in South Africa is a large, diverse market sector, comprising myriad businesses, ranging in size from independent traders to multinational corporations. In 2024, the retail sector grew for the fourth consecutive year, to reach a value of approximately R1.36 trillion.[1] The year prior, retail was the second-largest employment sector in South Africa, and contributed around 20% towards the country's GDP.[2]

Economic contribution

South Africa's retail sector is the largest on the African continent. The sector contributes a significant amount towards South Africa's economy.

The country's formal independent retail and wholesale sector is valued at R268 billion as of 2025, comprising nearly a third of the SA's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market.[3]

The South African Government has implemented tax reforms to support the local retail sector. For example, the South African Revenue Service introduced stricter rules for cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Shein and Temu, raising import duties and value added tax to curb foreign competition. These regulations include increased customs duties and import VAT, aimed at protecting local retailers and generating government revenue. Customs duties are determined by the type, value, and origin of imported goods.[1]

The South African retail industry was predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 4% through 2027.[4]

Below are alphabetized lists of the major retailers in South Africa by product category. Revenue is in South African rand. For foreign-domicilied companies, the year of foundation is the year of launch in South Africa. Only columns that are complete are totaled.

Loyalty programs

Various customer loyalty programs run in-house by South Africa's major retailers are highly popular amongst local shoppers. Loyalty cards have been an integrated part of shopping both in physical stores and online, for many years. Some cards offer benefits across partner loyalty programs from multiple major companies, such as between certain supermarket chains, gas stations, and commercial banks. Consumer research from 2026 found at least 23 large, active loyalty programs in SA.[5]

Card usage varied by region in SA, with the range of total cards held by consumers going from four to nine, with an average of seven to eight. Interestingly, the number of loyalty cards per customer increased as household income increased.[5]

In that research, it was found that grocery loyalty programs were the most popular, with shoppers found to be more loyal towards the programs than the brands they were buying. The card ranked as most valuable was Shoprite Group's Xtra Savings card.[5]

Sectors

The table below shows loyalty card usage by sector, as well as popular cards within those sectors, according to the research.[5]

Loyalty card usage across sectors in South Africa (as at April 2026)
SectorUsageMost used card/s
Groceries96%Shoprite Xtra Savings, Checkers Xtra Savings, and Pick n Pay Smart Shopper
Banking73%Capitec Live Better, FNB eBucks, Discovery Vitality, and Absa Rewards
Pharmacies66%Clicks ClubCard
Clothing and decor63%TFG Rewards
Mobile networks61%Vodacom Vodabucks
Gas stations43%Shell V+, Sasol Rewards, and Total Rewards

Online

Online shopping has become more common, as the internet in South Africa has become more accessible. The country has 50.8 million internet users, constituting 78.9% of the population, as of January 2025.[6]

In 2024, e-commerce was predicted to grow at an annual rate of 15 to 20%, driven by an increase in internet accessibility and increased use of digital payment methods. In the same year, e-commerce accounted for 10.5% of total retail sales in SA.[7] This was estimated to reach 20% by 2027. This growth is also supported by advancements in online platforms and alternative payment options like Float.[8][9]

Originally, the largest e-commerce store in South Africa was Kalahari.com. Kalahari merged with Takealot in 2015,[10] and the new company has become the e-commerce sales leader in the South African market. Takealot owns online fashion store Superbalist, which it acquired along with delivery service Mr Delivery (now branded MrD) in 2014. US-based Amazon only launched in SA in 2024, and still has a small presence. Many brick and mortar retailers also sell their goods online.

E-commerce stores in South Africa
CompanyFoundedHeadquartersRevenueRef
Amazon2024Cape Town
Takealot2011Cape TownR14.95 billion (2024)[11]
Total

Coffeehouses

South Africa has many independent coffeehouses. There are also five major coffeehouse chains, the majority of which are headquartered in Cape Town, which has a significant coffee culture.[12]

Coffeehouse chains in South Africa
CompanyFoundedHeadquartersNumber of locationsRevenueRef
Bootlegger2013Cape Town120+ (2026)[13]
Platō Coffee2019Pretoria150 (2026)[14]
Seattle1993Cape Town297 (2025)[15]
Vida2001Cape Town400 (2026)[16]
WCafeCape Town220+ (2025)[17]
Total1,187+

Supermarkets

South Africa is home to numerous large supermarket chains. Some, like Spar and Food Lover's Market, focus on groceries. Others, like Pick n Pay, offer standalone clothing stores. Woolworths is the only chain to also operate department style stores. It also owns Absolute Pets chain of pet stores - South Africa's largest. The Shoprite Group, which owns Checkers and USave, is South Africa's largest private sector employer, with around 170,000 employees as of 2026. Checkers operates midmarket grocery stores, FreshX upmarket grocery stores, Uniq clothing stores, Petshop Science pet stores, and Checkers Outdoor stores.

In April 2026, South African food manufacturer Libstar estimated that the country's collective grocery chain store trade alone was worth R513 billion a year, with a further R170 billion a year attributed to small-scale, independent grocery trade.[18]

Supermarket chains in South Africa
CompanyFoundedHeadquartersNumber of locationsTypeRevenueRef
Boxer1977Westville500 (2024)Lower market to midmarket[19]
Bargain Group1954Port Shepstone9 (2025)Lower market to midmarket[20]
Checkers1956Brackenfell597 (2025)Midmarket to upmarketR97.31 billion (2024)[21]
Food Lover's Market1993Brackenfell300+ (2022)Midmarket to upmarket[22]
Pick n Pay1967Cape Town2,279 (2024)Midmarket to upmarket- R20.12 billion (2024)[23]
Shoprite1979Brackenfell3,478 (2025)MidmarketR256 billion (2025)[24]
Spar1963uMhlanga4,449 (2024)Midmarket to upmarketR152.3 billion (2024)[25][26]
USave2003Brackenfell500 (2025)Lower market to midmarket[27]
Woolworths1931Cape Town1,057 (2024)UpmarketR77.33 billion (2024)[28]
Total13,160+

Pet stores

The South African pet sector is estimated, as of mid-2026, to be worth approximately R10.4 billion, and to have an annual growth rate of over 15%.[29]

Aside from independent pet stores, there are four major pet store chains in South Africa, all of which are relatively new in the context of South African retail chains, with two being significantly larger than the others. Each is owned by a different major supermarket group. Absolute Pets (the largest chain by number of stores) is owned by Woolworths, while Petshop Science is owned by Checkers, Pet Storey is owned by SPAR, and VetsMart is partnered with Food Lover's Market.

Pet stores in South Africa
CompanyFoundedHeadquartersNumber of locationsRevenueRef
Absolute Pets2005Cape Town172 (2024)[28]
Petshop Science2021Brackenfell144 (2024)[30]
Pet Storey2025Pinetown22 (2026)[31][32]
VetsMart2004Cape Town12 (2026)[33]
Total350

Petrol stations & convenience stores

South Africa is home to numerous convenience store brands, most of which are located at petrol stations, either via an in-house brand, or a co-location partnership with a major local retail company.

Part of a thriving automotive industry in South Africa, as of 2025, there around 4,000 petrol stations across the country, operated by seven different brands.[34][35] The two largest petrol station chains by number of locations are headquartered in Cape Town, while the rest have their head offices in the City of Johannesburg.

In June 2026, the Fuel Retailers Association (FRA) reported that 46% of consumers visit forecourts for reasons other than to buy fuel.[36]

Petrol stations & convenience stores in South Africa
CompanyFoundedHeadquartersRevenueConvenience store partnerHeadquartersNumber of locations *Ref
Astron1911Cape TownFreshStop (owned by Food Lover's Market)Cape Town850 (2025)[35]
BP1924JohannesburgPick n Pay ExpressCape Town500 (2025)[35]
Engen1881Cape TownR156 billion (2022)Woolworths FoodStopCape Town1,040 (2025)[37]
Puma2017SandtonCircle KJohannesburg118 (2025)[38]
Sasol1950SandtonR249.09 billion (2025)delight (in-house)Sandton354 (2025)[39]
Shell1902SandtonSpar expressPinetown591 (2025)[35]
Total1954Johannesburgbonjour (in-house)Johannesburg547 (2025)[35]
Total4,000

* Location totals are for gas stations, not convenience stores. Not all gas stations feature the listed partner convenience store.

Big box

South Africa has a few big-box store chains. These sell general merchandise, such as major appliances and homeware, in a warehouse format. Some, like Makro, are warehouse clubs, where shoppers are required to sign up for a free membership card in order to purchase anything, and can buy items in wholesale quantities.

Two of South Africa's largest big box store chains, Makro and Game, are owned by retail corporation Massmart, which also owns home improvement chain Builders Warehouse.

Big box retailers in South Africa
CompanyFoundedHeadquartersNumber of locationsRevenueRef
Expert (including Tafelberg Furnishers & Kloppers)1967Cape Town38 (2025)[40]
Game1970Sandton150 (2025)[41]
Hirschs1979Durban15 (2025)[42]
Makro1971Bedfordview46 (2025)28.3 billion (2021)[43]
Walmart (South Africa)2025Johannesburg2 (2025)[44]
Total251

Recreation

Gardening

  • Stodels
  • Cape Garden
  • Starke Ayres
  • Plantland
  • Harry Goemans
  • Heart & Soil Permaculture Farm

Outdoor

Exercise & sports

Two of SA's largest sporting and exercise gear stores, Totalsports and Sportscene, are owned by diversified retail corporation TFG.

  • Sportsmans Warehouse
  • Sportscene
  • Totalsports
  • MRP Sport
  • Burnt Clothing

Books

Pharmaceutical

South Africa has six major pharmacy chains. Some offer nursing facilities for things like vaccines, as well as sell personal care items, and a small selection of homeware items, at stores across South Africa. Medirite, the 5th largest, and Pharmacy at SPAR, the 6th largest, are owned by supermarket chains Shoprite and SPAR respectively.

Pharmaceutical retailers in South Africa
CompanyFoundedHeadquartersNumber of locationsRevenueRef
Alpha Pharm1968Pretoria350+ (2025)[45]
Clicks2003Cape Town780 (2025)R48.6 billion (2022)[46]
Dis-Chem1982Midrand300+ (2025)R39.17 billion (2025)[47]
Link Pharmacy1984Roodepoort300+ (2025)[45]
Medirite1999Brackenfell144 (2025)[45]
Pharmacy at SPAR2013Pinetown125 (2025)[48]
Total1,999+

Home improvement

SA has just three major general home improvement chains. All large retailers in this sector, except French-based Leroy Merlin, are local companies. However, the country is also home to more specialized home improvement chains, such as Italtile's CTM, which focuses on tiles and bathroom fittings, as well as dedicated paint stores from manufacturers like Dulux. Other retail chains in this sector include Gelmar, DIY Depot, and Built it.

Home improvement retailers in South Africa
CompanyFoundedHeadquartersNumber of locationsRevenueRef
Brights Hardware1971Brackenfell9[49]
BUCO1982Cape Town72[50]
Builders Warehouse2003Sandton117 (2025)1.18 billion (2024)[51]
Leroy Merlin1923Sandton5[52]
Mica Hardware1983Bedfordview160+[53]
Total363+

Fashion

Three of South Africa's major supermarket chains also operate dedicated clothing stores, under separate brands - Woolworths' Edit stores, Pick n Pay's Pick n Pay Clothing brand, and Checkers' UNIQ Clothing by Checkers.

Pepkor is the parent company of both PEP and Ackermans clothing chains. MRP operates separate clothing and sportswear stores. TFG sells clothing under numerous brand names, as well as online, via its bash website. TFG also operates dedicated Sterns, Galaxy & Co, and American Swiss jewelry stores. Major fashion retail chains include:[54]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Amarachi Orjiude-Ndibe (20 August 2025). "South Africa's retail market grows for fourth straight year, hits $72.6bn". Finance in Africa. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  2. ↑ "Retail Sector Report 2023" (PDF). Labour Research Service. January 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  3. ↑ Shaun Jacobs (25 September 2025). "South Africa's R268 billion retail giant taking on Shoprite, Pick n Pay and SPAR". Daily Investor. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  4. ↑ "South Africa Retail Market Size by Sector and Channel including Online Retail, Key Players and Forecast to 2027". GlobalData. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "South Africans' favourite loyalty card revealed". The South African. 9 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  6. ↑ "Digital 2025: South Africa". Datareportal. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "South Africa's Retail Industry in 2024". Malander Advisory. 23 September 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  8. ↑ "| The Better Way To Credit Card". Float. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  9. ↑ Reporter, Staff (10 September 2025). "Fintech start-up Float unlocks R46-million in new funding". TechCentral. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Kalahari down for good".
  11. ↑ "2024 Integrated annual report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2024.
  12. ↑ "Cape Town's Coffee Culture". Timeless Africa Safaris. Archived from the original on 11 May 2026. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  13. ↑ "Our Story".
  14. ↑ Hanno Labuschagne (11 February 2026). "Eskom killed his first business — then he started a coffee giant bigger than Starbucks in South Africa". MyBroadband. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  15. ↑ "Find a Store - Seattle Coffee Company". 5 October 2022.
  16. ↑ "Our Stores".
  17. ↑ "Leather Weekender | Woolworths.co.za".
  18. ↑ "Libstar Capital Markets Day, 2026" (PDF). Libstar. April 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Boxer - home".
  20. ↑ "Bargain Group".
  21. ↑ "2024 Annual Financial Statements" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2024.
  22. ↑ "Business".
  23. ↑ "Pick n Pay Investor Relations | Reports, results and presentations".
  24. ↑ "Reviewed results for the 52 weeks ended 29 June 2025 and cash dividend declaration" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2025.
  25. ↑ "Integrated annual report 2024" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2024.
  26. ↑ Hilton Tarrant. "Spar ditches Pinetown, books R30m loss on HQ sale". Moneyweb. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  27. ↑ "Shoprite Group opens 500th Usave store in SA".
  28. 1 2 "Annual financial statements 2024" (PDF). www.woolworthsholdings.co.za.
  29. ↑ Shaun Jacobs (2 June 2026). "Checkers and Woolworths fighting over your cats and dogs". Daily Investor. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  30. ↑ https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/companies-and-deals/in-battle-for-pets-shoprite-is-catching-woolies-fast
  31. ↑ "SPAR Launches "Pet Storey" a playful new pet store & entrepreneurial opportunity – a wonderland for pets and their owners". 19 September 2025.
  32. ↑ "Contact". Pet Storey. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  33. ↑ "VetsMart - Stores". VetsMart. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  34. ↑ "Convenience retail and the fuel station". Bizcommunity.com go2africa. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 Staff Writer (27 May 2024). "Shell kisses South African service stations and refinery goodbye". BusinessTech. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  36. ↑ Malcolm Libera (6 June 2026). "Say goodbye to petrol stations as you know them in South Africa". BusinessTech. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  37. ↑ "Engen".
  38. ↑ "Puma set to pounce on SA fuel market".
  39. ↑ "Financial Results | Financial Results".
  40. ↑ https://www.expertstores.co.za/dealer
  41. ↑ "About Us". www.game.co.za.
  42. ↑ https://www.hirschs.co.za/stores
  43. ↑ "Find a Makro Store and Liquor Near You". Makro.
  44. ↑ "Massmart: Company News and Information". Massmart: Company News and Information.
  45. 1 2 3 Luke Fraser (23 October 2025). "Clicks opening hundreds more stores in South Africa". BusinessTech. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  46. ↑ "Clicks Group".
  47. ↑ "Group and company audited annual financial statements 2025" (PDF). thevault.exchange.
  48. ↑ Staff Writer (22 October 2025). "Major threat coming after Clicks and Dis-Chem in South Africa". BusinessTech. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  49. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions".
  50. ↑ "Buco Stores | Buco Store Information & Contact Details".
  51. ↑ "Massmart reveals massive store expansion plans for Makro and Builder's Warehouse".
  52. ↑ "Find a Leroy Merlin Store Near You | Leroy Merlin South Africa".
  53. ↑ "Store Sites".
  54. ↑ Staff Writer (29 July 2025). "These are the best clothing stores in South Africa". BusinessTech. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
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