South African retail giant Shoprite Group has confirmed the opening of 47 new stores across eight sub-Saharan African countries during its 2025/26 financial year, reaffirming its position as the continent’s most expansive food retailer and demonstrating continued confidence in the long-term consumer growth potential of African markets despite the challenging macroeconomic environment.
The new outlets, spread across Angola, Zambia, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, Tanzania, Eswatini and Ghana, span the group’s multiple trading formats — from the core Shoprite supermarket brand to the more affordable Usave format, which has proved particularly successful in lower-income urban and peri-urban markets. The group has also expanded its Computicket and Money Market financial services offerings to several new country markets, deepening its customer relationship beyond the traditional retail transaction.
Group CEO Pieter Engelbrecht told investors at the company’s interim results presentation that sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa now accounts for more than 18% of group revenue — up from under 12% five years ago — and that the international division is growing at a faster rate than the domestic South African business on a constant currency basis.
The group’s African expansion strategy leans heavily on local supply chain development, with Shoprite establishing or partnering with food processing and distribution facilities in several of the countries in which it operates. This approach reduces dependency on South African imports, which are subject to exchange rate volatility, and creates employment and economic activity in host countries — a factor that has helped the company maintain generally positive relationships with local regulators and governments.
Shoprite’s share price has reflected strong investor confidence, with the stock trading near multi-year highs and analysts at most major South African investment houses maintaining buy or overweight ratings on the back of the company’s consistent execution and pan-African growth trajectory.
