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Woolworths (South Africa)
Woolworths (officially Woolworths Holdings Limited, and commonly referred to as Woolies) is a South African multinational retail company, headquartered in Cape Town. Founded in Cape Town, in 1931, the company owns the South African luxury department and grocery store chain, Woolworths, the Australian retailer Country Road, and South Africa's largest pet store chain, Absolute Pets. The group employs around 34,000 people.
The South African division of Woolworths comprises luxury goods retail, including fashion, homeware, and beauty products. Standalone food stores, and “Food Stops” attached to Engen gas stations, are located in metropolitan areas across South Africa.
A major part of the group, Woolworths Financial Services (WFS) offers store cards, credit cards, revolving loans, and pet insurance to consumers. In its 2024 fiscal year, WFS accounted for 4% of Woolworths' revenue.
Woolworths operates 436 stores in South Africa, as well as a total of 161 stores in its Engen outlets and rest of Africa group. It also operates 172 Absolute Pets stores, and 288 Country Road stores. In total, Woolworths has, as of its 2024 fiscal year, a total of 1,057 stores across all of its markets, covering a total trading area of around 841,000 square meters. 89% of Woolworths' stores are in Africa, and the remaining 11% are in Australia.
Woolworths also operates WCafe, a chain of approximately 220 cafés that range in size from full-service, sit-down-style restaurants, to coffee bars with their own counters that are built into Woolworths stores, to smaller-format barista stations outside certain food stores. The cafés also facilitate bakery orders. WCafe is a prominent brand within the South African coffeehouse market, and among those with the highest number of outlets.
Founded by Max Sonnenberg, Woolworths first opened its doors on 30 October 1931 in Plein Street, Cape Town, in the dining room of the recently closed Royal Hotel. Its initial success led to the opening of two additional stores in the Cape region.[citation needed]
It became evident that the new business had the potential to expand nationwide, although a lack of capital initially hindered this prospect. Sonnenberg’s friend, Elie Susman, provided the necessary funds for the expansion into the Transvaal and subsequently became his business partner.[citation needed]
The choice of the name originated from Sonnenberg’s friendship with a London shipper and financier, Percy (P.R.) Lewis. Lewis was a director of Australasian Chain Stores (ACS), a London shipping and finance house established to service a rapidly expanding Australian business founded by W.T. Christmas.
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Woolworths (South Africa)
Woolworths (officially Woolworths Holdings Limited, and commonly referred to as Woolies) is a South African multinational retail company, headquartered in Cape Town. Founded in Cape Town, in 1931, the company owns the South African luxury department and grocery store chain, Woolworths, the Australian retailer Country Road, and South Africa's largest pet store chain, Absolute Pets. The group employs around 34,000 people.
The South African division of Woolworths comprises luxury goods retail, including fashion, homeware, and beauty products. Standalone food stores, and “Food Stops” attached to Engen gas stations, are located in metropolitan areas across South Africa.
A major part of the group, Woolworths Financial Services (WFS) offers store cards, credit cards, revolving loans, and pet insurance to consumers. In its 2024 fiscal year, WFS accounted for 4% of Woolworths' revenue.
Woolworths operates 436 stores in South Africa, as well as a total of 161 stores in its Engen outlets and rest of Africa group. It also operates 172 Absolute Pets stores, and 288 Country Road stores. In total, Woolworths has, as of its 2024 fiscal year, a total of 1,057 stores across all of its markets, covering a total trading area of around 841,000 square meters. 89% of Woolworths' stores are in Africa, and the remaining 11% are in Australia.
Woolworths also operates WCafe, a chain of approximately 220 cafés that range in size from full-service, sit-down-style restaurants, to coffee bars with their own counters that are built into Woolworths stores, to smaller-format barista stations outside certain food stores. The cafés also facilitate bakery orders. WCafe is a prominent brand within the South African coffeehouse market, and among those with the highest number of outlets.
Founded by Max Sonnenberg, Woolworths first opened its doors on 30 October 1931 in Plein Street, Cape Town, in the dining room of the recently closed Royal Hotel. Its initial success led to the opening of two additional stores in the Cape region.[citation needed]
It became evident that the new business had the potential to expand nationwide, although a lack of capital initially hindered this prospect. Sonnenberg’s friend, Elie Susman, provided the necessary funds for the expansion into the Transvaal and subsequently became his business partner.[citation needed]
The choice of the name originated from Sonnenberg’s friendship with a London shipper and financier, Percy (P.R.) Lewis. Lewis was a director of Australasian Chain Stores (ACS), a London shipping and finance house established to service a rapidly expanding Australian business founded by W.T. Christmas.
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