Takealot set for first profit 15 years after launching
The Takealot Group is expecting to turn a full-year profit in the 2026 financial year, marking the e-commerce company’s first profit ever, 15 years after its launch.
Takealot is South Africa’s largest e-commerce business, and its history dates back to the early 2010s when Kim Reid and Tiger Global Management acquired the e-commerce business Take2.
The company was then rebranded and launched to the public as takealot.com in June 2011.
In 2014, the company expanded via the launch of Mr Delivery (now Mr D) and fashion retailer Superbalist.
A year later, Takealot merged with Kalahari, with South Africa’s most valuable company, Naspers, acquiring a 46.5% stake in the company for R1.2 billion.
In 2018, Naspers increased its stake in Takealot to over 95%. While being the dominant e-commerce player in South Africa over the last decade, it has prioritised growth over profits.
However, the company is now set to finally reach profitability.
Speaking to the media following the release of its interim results, Takealot CFO Tessa Ackermann stated that the group is expected to turn a profit in the current period.
Ackermann stated that the group incurred a R68 million EBIT loss in the first half of the 2026 financial year, which ended in September 2025.
The profit in the second half of the financial year should be enough to push the group into a full-year profit.
However, she admitted that the group is proceeding with caution, with the next 60 days being critical.
With Black Friday approaching later this week and Christmas on the horizon, Takealot is entering a key part of the retail season.
Ackermann is confident that the higher sales from October to December 2025 should push the group into a full-year profit.
Golden child is seeing growth
While the Takealot Group is set to reach profitability in the near future, Mr D has already reached that goal.
While Superbalist was sold by Takealot in 2024, Mr D became profitable for the first time in the 2024 financial year.
This performance continued into the latest financial year, with Mr D achieving 12% (10%) revenue growth to US$65 million (R1.1 billion).
This was supported by a 14% growth in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with Mr D’s grocery experiencing accelerated GMV growth of 47%.
Mr D saw an adjusted EBITDA of US$3 million (R50 million) in 1H26, maintaining profitability while scaling its offerings across food, grocery, and retail categories.
Takealot Group CEO Frederik Zietsman noted that Mr D is expanding aggressively, with the delivery service benefiting from the rise of quick delivery options.
Like many markets worldwide, South Africa is also experiencing a rise in demand for faster, on-demand services.
Zietsman said that MR D has several partnerships in the works to ensure the fast delivery of goods, including collaborations with Frozen For You, Toy Kingdom, and Nespresso.
Mr D also integrates TakealotMore, the group’s subscription service offering free delivery on orders from restaurants, grocery stores, and Takealot’s own store.
Zietsman noted that the group has been working on integrating TakealotMore across its own marketplace and Mr D.
TakealotMore is also working on several new partnerships, which Zietsman could not confirm, that will join the existing partnerships with Pick n Pay and News24.
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