The family behind two multi-billion-rand retail empires in South Africa
Meyer Lewis, an immigrant from Latvia, founded the Lewis furniture retail chain in the 1930s.
However, after a series of tragedies in the 50s, his family lost control of the group to a UK giant, and ended up in control of what would eventually become the R27 billion Foschini Group instead.
The Lewis group traces its origins back to 1934, when the first Lewis store was opened in Woodstock, Cape Town.
Founder, Meyer Lewis, immigrated to South Africa in 1908 and had spent his early business years as a hawker, selling small items like needles, threads, and buttons.
As told by his grandson, The Foschini Group chairman Michael Lewis, people were often unable to pay his grandfather cash for the items and would instead trade things like furniture instead.
In early 1930s, Lewis was able to purchase the Woodstock auction market, where he then began auctioning the furniture he had collected and turning it into cash.
“Then he figured out he knew enough about furniture that he should just open a store in Victoria road, Woodstock, which is where Lewis Stores is today,” Michael Lewis said.
Lewis noted that the furniture store quickly became a family business, with his own father, Stanley Lewis, getting more involved with it over time.
However, a series of tragedies that began in 1950 would see the family’s involvement unravel.
“My uncle, Jack, was killed in a plane crash, and six weeks later, the other brother, Izzy, dropped dead from a heart attack,” he said.
As the tragedies unfolded, the control of Lewis Stores had passed to the UK-based Great Universal Stores.
The loss of control of Lewis came as a result of its public listing on the JSE in 1946. The group was listed as Lewis Stores Limited to raise capital for expanding the business.
Great Universal entered South Africa in 1947 looking for investment opportunities and acquired the controlling share, delisting the group and taking it private once more.
These heralded a time of rapid growth for the group. At the time of listing it had only a few stores. By 1957, it had expanded to 55.
However, the loss of control of the group impacted the Lewis family.
Lewis’ father worked for the new controlling group as managing director, but by the late 50s, he had identified a new opportunity in another retailer, Foschini.
He left the Lewis group by the end of the decade to join the fashion retailer.
In 1958, Stanley Lewis acquired a majority shareholding of Foschini (then Foschini Limited), cementing the family’s continued legacy in retail in South Africa.
Retail legends
Today, both the Lewis Group and The Foschini Group are powerhouse retail giants in South Africa.
Lewis is the largest furniture retailer in the country, with a store base of 958 outlets across seven brands in five countries (South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana).
Aside from the well-known Lewis furniture stores, the group operates Best Home & Electric, Beares, fashion retailer UF, Bedzone, Real Beds, and Monarch Insurance.
In its latest financial reporting, the group laid out plans to rapidly expand its stores, having opened 40 new stores in the first half of the year, and planning to open 20 more by full year close.
While the Lewis’ had exited the business by 1960, the family was foundational in establishing its operations in South Africa—a legacy carried through the group’s name.
The Foschini Group, meanwhile, has grown into a R27 billion omni-channel retail behemoth, carrying a comprehensive portfolio of 39 retail brands.
The group, and its retail platfrom Bash, have expanded to include fashion and clothing, footwear, jewellery, sportswear, mobile and tech and home and furniture.
Combined, the Lewis legacy is tied to two of South Africa’s biggest and most successful retail businesses.
Michael Lewis said that the loss of control of Lewis stores was a great tragedy for his family, as it had been established by his grandfather and his father and uncles had all be a part of its founding story.
However, he added that the family legacy continued through his father and The Foschini Group, which had a remarkable influence on his life growing up.
Lewis received the Kirsh Family Lifetime Achiever Award, given in honour of anti-Apartheid activist Helen Suzman, in 2024.
He dedicated the award to his father’s memory, with love, respect and gratitude.
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