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2018 Sunday Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey reveals SA's favourite retailers

8 Oct 2018

The 2018 Sunday Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey, conducted by Kantar TNS South Africa, has announced South Africa's favourite retailers.

Sylvie Hurford, Carla Norman and Michele Lagesse of Woolworths, with Greg Bailey of Tiso Blackstar. Image provided.

The Grand Prix for the overall best retailer is awarded to Shoprite, with Pick n Pay and Clicks in 2nd and 3rd place respectively.

The Sunday Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey, now in its 11th year, provides retailers with deep insights about what consumers really think of their brand – where they’re winning, and where they should be doing more.

Get inside the heads of consumers

More than 2,750 adult respondents over the age of 18, from both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas of the country, were randomly selected and interviewed face-to-face. The final results were weighted to represent the population according to StatsSA 2015 mid-year population estimates. This year's survey also considered the new Socio-Economic Measures (SEM's).

Reardon Sanderson, GM: group sales and marketing for Tiso Blackstar says:

We believe the research delivered to the market through the Sunday Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey allows SA’s retailers and advertisers to ‘get inside the heads’ of consumers and what drives their preferences for one retailer over another.

How competitive is the market?

As an indication of how competitive the retail market is, this year’s survey registered 34 new players across 12 categories. Of those 34 additions, 10 were new entrants to the Online Store category, with many of them being established retail brands.

Kantar TNS’ approach considers a retailer’s penetration in the marketplace whilst also examining its relative strength amongst its users and its relative attraction amongst non-users – the concept of relative advantage.

Retailers that placed in the top three of a category were awarded custom-made Trolley trophies created by the Reaboka Foundation, an NGO committed to the empowerment of rural communities.

Here are the 2018 Sunday Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey winners:

Sunday Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey Categories	Category Winners
Bed Stores	Bradlows
Furniture Stores	Bradlows
Hardware Stores	Cashbuild
Health and Beauty Stores	Clicks
Pharmaceutical Outlets	Clicks
Entertainment, Online and Book Stores	CNA
Men's Clothing Stores	Edgars
Shoe Stores	Edgars
Women's Clothing Stores	Edgars
Electronics and Household Appliances Stores	Game
Wholesalers	Makro
Home Accessories and Décor Stores	Mr Price Home
Grocery Stores	Shoprite
Jewellery Stores	Sterns
Online Stores	Takealot.com
Tyre and Auto Fitment Centres	Tiger Wheel & Tyre
Liquor and Bottle Stores	Tops at Spar
Sports and Outdoor Stores	Totalsports
Telecommunications Stores	Vodacom shop
Kids and Baby Clothing Stores	Woolworths

“By constantly analysing the marketplace to see how we ourselves can innovate, Tiso Blackstar has developed strong partnerships and trusted relationships with our retailer clients. We will continue to support the market with research that allows every business to know more, and become better,” concludes Sanderson.

Herewith the Top 10 rankings in each of the 2018 Sunday Times/Sowetan Shopper Survey categories:

2018 Grand Prix	Index Score
1. Shoprite	83.6
2. Pick n Pay (Supermarket/Hypermarket/ Family Store)	79.61
3. Clicks	78.13
4. Makro	74.18
5. Edgars	72.38
6. Woolworths	72.12
7. Spar/KwikSpar/Super Spar	71.82
8. Tops at Spar	70.23
9. Checkers/Checkers Hyper	67.46
10. Ackermans	67.29
Home Accessories and Décor Stores	Index score
1. Mr Price Home	66.02
2. Sheet Street	65.7
3. Woolworths	63.68
4. Boardmans	61.91
5. Home choice	56.93
6. Edgars	54.1
7. @Home	54.02
8. Ackermans	48.86
9. Builders Warehouse	48.46
10. Pep	46.99
Grocery Stores	Index score
1. Shoprite	83.6
2. Pick n Pay (Supermarket/Hypermarket/ Family Store)	79.61
3. Spar/KwikSpar/Super Spar	71.82
4. Checkers/Checkers Hyper	67.46
5. Woolworths	66.86
6. Fruit & Veg City	56.08
7. Makro	53.68
8. Game (Foodco)	49.14
9. U-Save	49.12
10. Cambridge Food	45.54
Electronics and Household Appliances Stores	Index score
1. Game	67.16
2. Clicks	61.62
3. Makro	60.19
4. Samsung	57.81
5. Dion Wired	57.18
6. Hi-Fi Corporation	56.58
7. House & Home	54.27
8. Shoprite	52.13
9. OK Furniture	50.69
10. @home	50.48
Jewellery Stores	Index score
1. Sterns	60.86
2. American Swiss	58.02
3. Galaxy & Co.	51.74
4. Arthur Kaplan	48.91
5. NWJ Fine Jewellery	47.13
Kids and Baby Clothing Stores	Index score
1. Woolworths	72.12
2. Ackermans	67.29
3. Edgars	61.84
4. Naartjie	61.83
5. Earthchild	59.19
6. Cotton On Kids	54.91
7. Truworths	54.47
8. Jet	53.83
9. Mr Price	53.62
10. Foschini	50.24
Liquor and Bottle Stores	Index score
1. Tops at Spar	70.23
2. Shoprite Liquor Shop	62.48
3. Pick n Pay Liquor	60.53
4. Makro Liquor	57.8
5. Prestons	57.43
6. Liquor City	54.92
7. Ultra Liquors	54.71
8. Checkers Liquor Shop	52.29
9. Metro Liquor	49.24
10. Liquorland	48.93
Men's Clothing Stores	Index score
1. Edgars	69.88
2. Woolworths	65.89
3. Markham	64.17
4. Truworths	62.51
5. Mr Price	61.3
6. Sportscene	58.04
7. The Hub / Meltz	54.77
8. Cotton On	53.59
9. Identity	52.92
10. Old Khaki	52.85
Online Stores	Index score
1. Takealot.com	57.66
2. Woolworths.co.za	54.84
3. Mrp.com	43.5
4. PicknPay.co.za	43.46
Shoe Stores	Index score
1. Edgars	72.14
2. Woolworths	68.67
3. Spitz	65.48
4. Timberland	53.04
5. Jet	51.29
6. Green Cross	50.74
7. Tekkie Town	50.19
8. Rage	48.71
9. Nine West	48.69
10. Fabiani	48.25
Entertainment, Online and Book Stores	Index score
1. CNA	62.05
2. Musica	60.9
3. Top CD	57.83
4. Exclusive Books	57.64
5. CUM	57.39
6. Takealot.com	55.39
7. Van Schaik	54.31
8. Look & Listen	52.42
9. Shoprite DVD/CD Section	49.68
10. Pick n Pay DVD/CD Section	45.31
Furniture Stores	Index score
1. Bradlows	58.77
2. House & Home	56.43
3. OK Furniture	54.61
4. Russells	54.1
5. Lewis	53.4
6. Fair Price	51.99
7. Mr Price Home	50.57
8. @home	49.87
9. Furniture City	47.52
10. Akhona	44.36
Hardware and Building Stores	Index score
1. Cashbuild	66.13
2. Build It	61.46
3. Builders (including Warehouse, Express, Trade Depot)	59.7
4. Timbercity	51.69
5. Mica	50.05
6. D.I.Y Depot	48.68
7. Kwik Build	47.96
8. Jack's Paint & Hardware	46.19
9. Buco	44.77
10. Boxer Build	40.32
Health and Beauty Stores	Index score
1. Clicks	77.03
2. Dischem	66
3. Truworths	50.3
4. Woolworths	48.92
5. Edgars	48.11
6. Red Square	44.84
7. The Body Shop	41.84
8. Foschini	41.01
9. JetMart	32.91
Pharmaceutical Outlets	Index score
1. Clicks	78.13
2. Dischem	67.09
3. Medirite (Shoprite/Checkers)	54.49
4. Link Pharmacy	49.45
5. Pick n Pay Pharmacy	45.13
6. Spar Pharmacy	44.33
7. Alpha Pharm	42.02
Sports and Outdoor Stores	Index score
1. Totalsports	66.23
2. Sportscene	60.89
3. Adidas	57.91
4. Nike	56.94
5. Edgars Active	53.97
6. Mr Price Sport	53.46
7. Cape Union Mart	52.25
8. Studio 88	50.41
9. Sportmans Warehouse	48.39
10. Sneakers	42.94
Telecommunications Stores	Index score
1. Vodacom shop	66.51
2. Pepcell	66.09
3. MTN store	60.19
4. Telkom Stores	53.57
5. Edgars	53.48
6. Cell C store	53
7. Game	52.15
8. Woolworths	50.19
9. Ackermans	46.97
10. Pick n Pay	42.15
Tyre and Auto Fitment Centres	Index score
1. Tiger Wheel & Tyre	62.2
2. Supaquick	55.57
3. Hi-Q	55.16
3. Dunlop Zone	54.49
4. Mr Exhaust Mr Tyre	53.58
5. Kwik Fit	50.04
6. Speedy	49.65
7. Autozone	48.57
Wholesalers	Index score
1. Makro	74.18
2. Kit Kat Cash & Carry	59.22
3. Jumbo Cash & Carry	54.47
4. Boxer Superstores	52.49
5. Trade Centre	52.04
6. Metro Cash & Carry	51.47
7. Rhino Cash & Carry	48.32
8. Metro Hyper	46.83
9. Sunshine Cash & Carry	44.96
10. Checkout Supermarket	44.23
Women's Clothing Stores	Index score
1. Edgars	72.38
2. Woolworths	70.61
3. Mr Price	66.91
4. Truworths	64.7
5. Sportscene	57.08
6. Foschini	56.87
7. Cotton On	53.99
8. Ackermans	53.69
9. Jet	53.27
10. H&M	52.97
Bed Stores	Index score
1. Bradlows	57.39
2. Mr Price Home	56.62
3. OK Furniture	55.98
4. Russells	53.49
5. Lewis	52.66
6. House & Home	52.38
7. Furniture City	52.05
8. Fair Price	51.92
9. The Bed Shop	50.84
10. Sleepmasters	50.73