The story
Checkers was founded in 1956 by Norman Herber in Mayfair, Johannesburg. The firm was later expanded and made successful by Raymond Ackerman. The retailer launched its no-name items, called House Brands, in the 1950s, and by the 1960s, it had expanded to 85 stores across South Africa. Also in the 60s, Checkers became the first retail chain store to use high-density polyethylene bags.
In 1984, Checkers launched at-home shopping, via the South African Post Office, and the following year, the retailer launched its first card payment system in partnership with Barclays Bank.
In 1985, Checkers launched South Africa's first grocery delivery system, and in 1986, the company introduced an early version of product price scanning in its stores. Checkers launched the largest customer engagement drive by a South African retailer in 1990.
In 1991, Checkers was acquired by another South African retail chain – one of the country's largest at the time, Shoprite Group.
In 2016, Checkers launched its FreshX store format, with the explicit goal of competing directly with major South African retailer Woolworths, by targeting high income earners. The new store format, inspired in part by partner company IMS Argentina, was intended to be premium and interactive, including specialist departments such as a butchery, bakery, sushi bar, coffee bar, and wine cellar. Each department would have its own identity, and the FreshX layout and features would be radically different to existing Checkers stores.
FreshX stores would feature a specific ambiance, with seamless cork flooring for low shopping cart noise, more premium materials for interior decorating, a clutter-free environment, and wider aisles. The design of the new format has been outsourced to interior design companies, and these choices were made to create a more peaceful, relaxed shopping experience. The new FreshX format stores would sell a mix of in-house and private label brands. FreshX would also include partner brands, such as Kauai, Lindt, Krispy Kreme, and Starbucks, operating under a store-in-store model.
In 2019, Checkers Xtra Savings was launched as the company's loyalty program. Customers could earn rewards by registering for and swiping an Xtra Savings card, or scanning it on their phones.
In 2021, Checkers launched its first standalone pet store, under the Petshop Science brand. It was the first supermarket chain in South Africa to do so, and began rapidly expanding the brand across the country. In 2022, Checkers Outdoor was launched. The new brand would sell camping, outdoor recreation activity, and braai-related items. The following year, the company launched its Uniq clothing by Checkers brand, focused on women's fashion.
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In 2021, Checkers launched a new small format store type called Checkers Foods. The new format was aimed at bringing Checkers closer to customers, with an expanded range of fresh food and premium convenience items. The first such store was opened in Weltevreden Park Shopping Center in Roodepoort, Gauteng, and was 1,200 sqm. Checkers said additional Checkers Foods stores would open in Westlake, Cape Town, and Franschhoek, Western Cape, as well as Ballito in KwaZulu-Natal, early in 2022.
The first Western Cape Checkers Foods store was launched in April 2022, in Franschhoek, with 1,000 sqm of retail space. Checkers said the store had a product offering tailored to its customers in that area. The store was named the top retail development at the SACSC 2022 Retail Design and Development Awards.
By December 2024, the retailer had launched a total of 12 Checkers Foods locations. In 2024, Checkers had a total of 12 million Xtra Savings loyalty card members. In the same financial year, the supermarket reported 12.3% sales growth for its core Checkers, Checkers Hyper, and Checkers Foods brands combined. In November 2024, the 100th Petshop Science store was opened.
In March 2025, Checkers was named South Africa’s strongest brand in the Brand Finance 2025 South Africa Top 100 Report, securing an AAA+ rating, the highest brand strength rating awarded. They then made retail history by unveiling South Africa’s first smart trolley, equipped with a range of technology designed to enhance the shopping experience, in August of that year.
In November 2025, Checkers stated its intent to continue to push into the upmarket retail segment in South Africa, by converting numerous existing stores into its premium FreshX format. The company said the conversions were one of its top priorities. Checkers reported that overall FreshX sales had increased by 13.8% year-over-year, contributing an additional R11.6 billion to the company's overall revenue. Also in 2025, the company launched its ecommerce site, which integrates the Sixty60 delivery platform.
In March 2026, Checkers reported that its on-demand delivery platform, Sixty60, was performing exceptionally well. While the company's overall grocery segment was growing, sales via the Sixty60 platform were increasing at significantly higher rates than in-store purchases. Shoprite Holdings' Supermarkets RSA merchandise sales grew 7.1% during the prior six months, while Sixty60 sales increased by 34.6% over the same period, growing to R11.9 billion. The number of stores where Sixty60 was available had increased by over 45% during the period December 2024 to December 2025.
In April 2026, Checkers announced that its Hyper (large format) stores would add a new store-in-store partner, coffee company Nespresso. With increasing competition in the South African retail sector, and a strong demand for coffee by SA consumers, the first Nespresso outlet opened inside the Checkers Hyper at Centurion Mall. The supermarket announced at the time that a second Nespresso store would open in May 2026, inside the Paarl Junction Hyper. Checkers said the Nespresso outlets would for the time being be limited to its Hyper stores, as they had space to accommodate them. Checkers also stated that the partnership fit its goal of bringing well-regarded global brands closer to consumers through its stores.
In May 2026, it was reported that Checkers' parent company Shoprite had four so-called "dark stores", to exclusively serve its on-demand Sixty60 home delivery service. These stores serve as micro fulfilment centers, increasing delivery fulfilment times in high-demand areas, and are not accessible to the public like traditional stores are. Three of them were in Cape Town, and one in Joburg. The company confirmed it was busy constructing the first such store in KZN. At the time, Shoprite confirmed that Sixty60 deliveries were fulfilled from a total of 894 stores across SA.
In October 2026, it was reported that the launch of a new Checkers children's toy store format was being considered. One of multiple new concepts under consideration, the first of these new stores would potentially open before the end of 2026.
From Wikipedia’s article on Checkers (supermarket chain), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3