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. The year prior, retail was the second-largest employment sector in South Africa, and contributed around 20% towards the country's GDP.
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.
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.
The South African retail industry was predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 4% through 2027.
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.
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.
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.
Sectors
The table below shows loyalty card usage by sector, as well as popular cards within those sectors, according to the research.
+Loyalty card usage across sectors in South Africa (as at April 2026)Sector Usage Most used card/sGroceries 96% Shoprite Xtra Savings, Checkers Xtra Savings, and Pick n Pay Smart ShopperBanking 73% Capitec Live Better, FNB eBucks, Discovery Vitality, and Absa RewardsPharmacies 66% Clicks ClubCardClothing and decor 63% TFG RewardsMobile networks 61% Vodacom VodabucksGas stations 43% 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.
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. This was estimated to reach 20% by 2027. This growth is also supported by advancements in online platforms and alternative payment options like Float.
Originally, the largest e-commerce store in South Africa was Kalahari.com. Kalahari merged with Takealot in 2015, 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 AfricaCompany Founded Headquarters Revenue RefAmazon Cape Town Takealot Cape Town R16.4 billion (2026) 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.
+Coffeehouse chains in South AfricaCompany Founded Headquarters Number of locations Revenue RefBootlegger Cape Town 120+ (2026) Platō Coffee Pretoria 150 (2026) Seattle Cape Town 297 (2025) Vida Cape Town 400 (2026) WCafe Cape Town ~230 (2026) Total 1,207+
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.
+Supermarket chains in South AfricaCompany Founded Headquarters Number of locations Type Revenue RefBoxer Westville 500 (2024) Lower market to midmarket Bargain Group Port Shepstone 9 (2025) Lower market to midmarket Checkers Brackenfell 597 (2025) Midmarket to upmarket R97.31 billion (2024) Food Lover's Market Brackenfell 120+ (2025) Midmarket to upmarket Pick n Pay Cape Town 2,279 (2024) Midmarket to upmarket - R20.12 billion (2024) Shoprite Brackenfell 3,478 (2025) Midmarket R256 billion (2025) Spar uMhlanga 3,726 (2024) Midmarket to upmarket R131.46 billion (2025) USave Brackenfell 500 (2025) Lower market to midmarket Woolworths Cape Town 1,669 (2026) Upmarket R82.77 billion (2026) Total 12,878+
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%.
Aside from independent pet stores, there are five major pet store chains in South Africa, many of which are relatively new in the context of South African retail chains, with two being significantly larger than the others. Four of the chains are owned by major SA supermarket groups. 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 chains of South AfricaCompany Parent company Founded Headquarters Number of locations * RefAbsolute Pets Woolworths Cape Town 200+ (2026) Petshop Science Checkers Brackenfell 173 (2026) https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/companies-and-deals/in-battle-for-pets-shoprite-is-catching-woolies-fastPet Storey SPAR Pinetown 22 (2026) VetsMart Food Lover's Market Cape Town 12 (2026) Petworld Petworld Africa Holding Cape Town 9 (2026) Total – – – 416+
* Including countries of operation outside of South Africa
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. 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.
+Petrol stations & convenience stores in South AfricaCompany Founded Headquarters Revenue Convenience store partner Headquarters Number of locations * RefAstron Cape Town FreshStop (owned by Food Lover's Market) Cape Town 850 (2025) BP Johannesburg Pick n Pay Express Cape Town 500 (2025) Engen Cape Town R156 billion (2022) Woolworths FoodStop Cape Town 1,040 (2025) Puma Sandton Circle K Johannesburg 118 (2025) Sasol Sandton R249.09 billion (2025) delight (in-house) Sandton 354 (2025) Shell Sandton Spar express Pinetown 591 (2025) Total Johannesburg bonjour (in-house) Johannesburg 547 (2025) Total 4,000
* 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 AfricaCompany Founded Headquarters Number of locations Revenue RefExpert (including Tafelberg Furnishers & Kloppers) Cape Town 38 (2025) https://www.expertstores.co.za/dealerGame Sandton 150 (2025) Hirschs Durban 15 (2025) https://www.hirschs.co.za/storesMakro Bedfordview 46 (2025) R28.3 billion (2021) Walmart (South Africa) Johannesburg 2 (2025) Total 251
Recreation
Gardening
Stodels Cape Garden Starke Ayres Plantland Harry Goemans Heart & Soil Permaculture Farm
Outdoor
Cape Union Mart Outdoor Warehouse Checkers 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
Exclusive Books Bargain Books Readers Warehouse Wordsworth 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 AfricaCompany Founded Headquarters Number of locations Revenue RefAlpha Pharm Pretoria 350+ (2025) Clicks Cape Town 780 (2025) R48.6 billion (2022) Dis-Chem Midrand 300+ (2025) R39.17 billion (2025) Link Pharmacy Roodepoort 300+ (2025) Medirite Brackenfell 144 (2025) Pharmacy at SPAR Pinetown 125 (2025) Total 1,999+
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 AfricaCompany Founded Headquarters Number of locations Revenue RefBrights Hardware Brackenfell 9 BUCO Cape Town 72 Builders Warehouse Sandton 117 (2025) 1.18 billion (2024) Leroy Merlin Sandton 5 Mica Hardware Bedfordview 160+ Total 363+
Fashion