Shoprite Group has reported a 7.2% rise in sale of merchandise from continuing operations to R270.8bn for 2026, adding R18.1bn in incremental sales over the prior year, even as the retailer held price increases below official food inflation across its core supermarket business.
Chief executive Pieter Engelbrecht credited the performance to execution across the group’s more than 174,000 employees, describing the result as a reflection of alignment and accountability throughout the business. Internal selling price inflation within the Supermarkets RSA segment came in at 0.8% for the year, well below Stats SA’s official food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation rate of 3.9% over the same period, with the group’s two price-fighting brands, Shoprite and Usave, recording outright price deflation.
Shoprite Sales Rise After Festive Boost
Supermarkets RSA, which houses the group’s core brands and still accounts for 84.5% of total sales, grew 7.1% and added R15.2bn to the prior year’s base. Within the segment, Shoprite and Usave grew sales 4.3% despite selling price deflation of 0.1% and 0.6% respectively, while Checkers and Checkers Hyper posted stronger growth of 10.0%, supported by selling price inflation of 2.0% and 1.2%.
| Metric | FY2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Group sale of merchandise | R270.8bn | +7.2% |
| Supermarkets RSA sales | — | +7.1% |
| Sixty60 revenue | R25.5bn | +34.5% |
| Petshop Science stores | 185 | +41 net new stores |
| Supermarkets Non-RSA sales | — | +11.0% (+7.1% constant currency) |
| Dividend | — | +11.8% |
| Xtra Savings Rewards cash back | R18.3bn | — |
The group’s on-demand delivery platform, Sixty60, added a record R6.6bn in revenue for the year, with sales growing 34.5% to R25.5bn. Shoprite has increasingly used the platform to scale adjacent categories: Petshop Science, launched in 2021, opened a net 41 stores during the year to reach 185 outlets nationally and grew sales 74.5%, helped by its integration onto Sixty60.
The group also announced two acquisitions during the period, both structured below the threshold that would classify them as categorisable transactions under JSE Listings Requirements. The first is an initial majority stake in South African technology and payments company R&A Cellular, which took effect after year-end, in August 2026, as part of Shoprite’s financial services growth strategy. R&A Cellular’s device network gives informal and semi-formal micro-retailers access points to deliver everyday financial services while helping them manage their own cash flow and inventory.
Shoprite Named the Most Cost-Effective Retailer for the Year
The second acquisition, coffee and quick-service restaurant chain Vida e Caffè, will bring around 400 corporate and franchise stores into the group once completed. Shoprite signed the share purchase agreement in August 2026, and the deal remains subject to conditions precedent, including regulatory approval, with an effective date expected during the 2027 financial year. Vida has operated in South Africa for 25 years and is described by the group as the country’s leading coffee brand.
Outside South Africa, sales in the Supermarkets Non-RSA segment grew 11.0%, or 7.1% in constant currency, with profitability improving on the back of lower diesel costs used to generate electricity in Zambia. The group’s footprint on the continent outside South Africa now spans seven countries.
Shoprite declared an 11.8% increase in its dividend to shareholders, a rate matched in distributions paid to qualifying staff through the group’s Shoprite Employee Trust and to employees across its African operations. The group also paid out R18.3bn in Xtra Savings Rewards cash back at the till during the year.