The ultra-luxury retailer taking over South Africa
The Pantry is expanding rapidly, with the Marble Hospitality Group opening more of the ultra-luxury stores across the country.
The third Pantry store opened in Bassonia, south of Johannesburg, adding to the existing permanent stores in Rosebank, Johannesburg, and Hazelwood, Pretoria, which opened in October last year.
The new store is the most spacious yet and is found in the newly opened Omni Square Shopping Centre.
The store serves the same coffee and The Pantry’s signature dishes and pastries. It has a large restaurant space and its own sushi bar.
The new store also separates the grocery section from the grab-and-go and eating area, which allows for easier movement.
“With a broader selection of retail items, it brings together The Pantry experience you know and love — fancy, but easy,” it said.
The Pantry stores are not limited to the three existing stores; there is also a pop-up store at the Mall of Africa, a delivery service, and a specialised store found in Standard Bank’s Rosebank office.
A new Pantry store will also open when the Olympus Development in Sandton opens, which will also feature a Marble restaurant and the group’s first foray into the hotel space.
BusinessTech has regularly visited The Pantry stores in Johannesburg and Pretoria, which offer excellent, convenient food. Personal favourites include the margherita pizza and focaccia bread.
The Pantry stores were launched in 2016 by celebrity chef David Higgs and businessman Gary Kyriacou, the co-founders of the Marble Hospitality Group.
They have opened several fine-dining restaurants across the country, including Marble, Saint, and Zioux.
The partners then expanded into the forecourt space, opening a location next to the Sasol station on Jan Smuts, Rosebank.
The idea for The Pantry began during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the partners sought a way to restructure their business, as restaurants were among the hardest-hit industries.
They then decided to bring their luxury hospitality expertise into the grocery sector, launching the “fancy but easy” concept of The Pantry.
The first Rosebank location opened in 2022, directly under a Marble restaurant, and became a popular destination for everyday shopping and hanging out.
While the Rosebank location is attached to a petrol station, the Pretoria and Bassonia locations are independent.
This means that the Pretoria and South Johannesburg locations have expanded their offerings to include fresh groceries.
Unlike the Rosebank location, the Bassonia and Hazelwood locations are not 24/7, but do offer more parking spots – a regular issue for the Rosebank location during weekends.
Pantry Images
The Pantry in Rosebank, Johannesburg
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