Shoprite Group has reported another year of sales growth, with digital grocery delivery, store expansion and its focus on affordability helping drive performance in a challenging consumer environment.
The group has increased merchandise sales from continuing operations by 7.2% for the 52 weeks ended 28 June 2026, adding to the retailer's recent run of growth as it continues to invest in its core supermarket operations and digital retail ecosystem.
The full-year operational update comes ahead of the group's annual results, with Shoprite expecting headline earnings per share from continuing operations to increase by between 12.7% and 14.7%.
Sixty60 emerges as a major growth engine
One of the strongest performances came from Checkers Sixty60, which continued to significantly outpace the group's broader sales growth.
Sales through the on-demand platform increased 34.5% to R25.5bn for the year, according to the group's operational update. The performance highlights the growing role of digital commerce within Shoprite's overall retail strategy.
The latest numbers also indicate that Sixty60 is becoming an increasingly important contributor to the group's incremental growth. It's estimated that the platform accounted for more than a third of the group's overall sales growth during the period.
The performance builds on the momentum seen during the first half of the financial year, when Sixty60 sales grew 34.6% to R11.9bn, substantially ahead of the 7.1% growth recorded by the broader Supermarkets RSA business.
Retail footprint continues to expand
Alongside its digital investment, Shoprite continued to grow its physical store network.
The group opened 262 new stores across South Africa during the year, contributing to its broader expansion strategy.
The expansion reflects Shoprite's continued focus on increasing accessibility to its various retail formats, while targeting opportunities across different customer segments and locations.
The retailer has been expanding beyond its traditional supermarket formats, with Checkers, Shoprite, Usave and newer specialist and convenience concepts contributing to the group's evolving retail footprint.
Affordability remains central to the strategy
The latest performance comes against a backdrop of continued pressure on South African consumers, making affordability and value increasingly important competitive levers for grocery retailers.
Shoprite has increasingly positioned price leadership, promotions and its Xtra Savings loyalty ecosystem as central to its customer proposition. During the first half of the financial year, the group returned R9.7bn in Xtra Savings discounts to customers while maintaining sales growth.
This approach is becoming particularly important as consumers balance constrained household budgets with demand for convenience, choice and increasingly personalised shopping experiences.
Checkers continues its transformation
The group's performance also reflects the continued evolution of Checkers, which has been expanding its reach among more affluent consumers while investing in premium formats, digital shopping and convenience.
The strategy has allowed the group to pursue growth across different parts of the consumer market rather than relying solely on traditional grocery volumes.
At the same time, the group's core Shoprite and Usave brands remain important to its affordability proposition, particularly among price-sensitive consumers.
From supermarket to omnichannel ecosystem
The latest operational update underscores how Shoprite's growth strategy is increasingly built around an interconnected retail ecosystem rather than simply adding supermarkets.
Physical stores remain the foundation, but digital commerce, last-mile delivery, loyalty, data and customer-facing technology are becoming increasingly important to how the group competes.
Sixty60 is arguably the clearest example of this transition. What began as an on-demand grocery service has developed into a significant sales channel, with the platform increasingly extending the reach of Checkers beyond its physical stores.
Shoprite's full-year performance therefore points to a broader shift in South African grocery retail: growth is increasingly being driven by the combination of scale, affordability, physical accessibility and digital convenience.
With the group's full financial results due on 1 September 2026, investors and the wider retail industry will now be watching to see how the strong sales performance translates into profitability and what the next phase of Shoprite's expansion will look like.
