Number Of The Day | 262 | 12 August 2026

262 is today’s Number of the Day. Shoprite opened 262 new stores across South Africa during the year, taking its local footprint to 2,839 outlets. The expansion stretches across Shoprite, Usave, liquor stores, Checkers and newer formats such as Petshop Science, while Checkers Sixty60 sales grew by 34.5%. For Gareth Edwards and Francis Herd, the significance reaches beyond another corporate growth statistic. In an economy battling severe unemployment, every new store also raises the question of how much large-scale private-sector expansion can contribute to job creation.

Then the conversation turns competitive. Checkers is chasing Woolworths, Pick n Pay is trying to recover, Boxer is strengthening its position and Sixty60 has changed the fight for online grocery shopping. Even artificial intelligence is becoming another battleground as retailers look for new ways to keep customers inside their ecosystems. Shoprite may have opened 262 stores, but physical expansion is only one part of the race. The more interesting question is what South Africa’s supermarkets will have to become to win the shopper of the future.

Chapter List
(00:00) Shoprite Opens 262 Stores and Creates Jobs

(01:27) South Africa’s Retail War Heats Up

(02:41) Boxer, Pick n Pay and the Fight for Shoppers

(03:34) Sixty60 Dominance and the Next Retail Battle