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.
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.
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.
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.
South Africa has many thriving, and in some cases even world-renowned, independent coffeehouses. There are also four major coffeehouse chains, all of which are headquartered in Cape Town, which has a vibrant coffee culture.
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.
Aside from independent pet stores, there are three major pet store chains in South Africa, all of which are relatively new in the context of South African retail chains. 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, and Pet Storey is owned by SPAR.
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 partnership with a different retail company. Part of a thriving automotive industry in South Africa, there 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 Gauteng.
<small>* Location totals are for gas stations, not convenience stores. Not all gas stations feature the listed partner convenience store.</small>
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.
Two of SA's largest sporting and exercise gear stores, Totalsports and Sportscene, are owned by diversified retail corporation TFG.
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.
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.
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: