The South African grocery store that is cheaper than Pick n Pay, Checkers, and Spar

The South African grocery store Best Before offers much lower prices than other retailers by selling short and past-dated food and personal care products.

Two experienced South African businessmen, Mark Gordon and Alain Soriano, started Best Before in 2017.

They saw an opportunity to sell foods, toiletries, and household items at a big discount because they were near or past their ‘best before’ date.

They noticed the success of these types of discount stores in Europe and Australia and replicated the model in South Africa.

They tested the concept at a pilot store in Wendywood, Sandton. It was a winner. There was a strong demand for affordable food and other household items.

They expanded the concept and partnered with South Africa’s largest food suppliers to deliver quality food at great prices. Everyone won through Best Before’s business model.

• Suppliers benefit by finding a new channel to supply goods no longer within the dates acceptable to traditional supermarkets.
• Consumers benefit through lower prices on popular foods, toiletries, and household items.
• Best Before benefits through a growing business and increased profits.

The store highlights that it does not sell anything past its use-by date. All its products come from trusted and reputable suppliers with stringent quality control.

It explains that the best before date on most items is an estimate of how long a product will remain at optimal quality.

Therefore, it will not be dangerous to use it after this date. “There is no health problem with buying and consuming beyond that date,” Best Before explained.

The company became a specialist in buying items that are close to or past their best-before date and surplus stock.

“We are able to buy large quantities at great prices, allowing us to pass considerable savings onto our customers,” Best Before explained.

Best Before said it would refund any product bought in its stores should the client not be satisfied with their purchase.

Strong growth

The success of the pilot store in Wendywood encouraged Gordon and Soriano to open new stores and launch an online shopping service in Gauteng.

Best Before now has six stores in Johannesburg: Woodmead, Edenvale, Fourways, Northcliff, Krugersdorp, and Boksburg.

The company also plans to open its first store in Pretoria. Although the location has not been announced yet, it said it would be revealed this week.

The company has regular special promotions, which it says offer significant discounts over big retailers like Checkers, Shoprite, Spar, and Pick n Pay.

In a recent promotion, it said 40 items in its weekly promotion would cost R2,267 at a traditional supermarket.

The same group of products would cost R1,548 at a Best Before clearance store, a 32% saving of R719.

BusinessTech compared Best Before’s prices with Checkers and Pick n Pay to see how much cheaper it is. The table below summarises the results.

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