Business

Shoprite buys major coffee brand in South Africa with 400 stores across the country

Staff Writer

 ·1 Sep 2026

South Africa’s biggest retailer, Shoprite, has announced it has acquired the 25-year-old coffee chain Vida e Caffè, which has been expanding rapidly in the country.

The group announced the acquisition in its annual results for the 2026 financial year, alongside the acquisition of R&A Cellular, which will form part of Shoprite’s financial services business and will help smaller or informal businesses deliver essential financial services.

The acquisitions were not categorisable under JSE listing requirements.

Shoprite CEO, Pieter Engelbrecht, said Vida has established itself as South Africa’s leading coffee brand, and would boost the group’s platform for future growth and customer engagement.

“Its broad and demographically diverse customer base is supported by a range of store formats, including high street, forecourt, drive-thru, corporate office and retail locations, as well as an increasingly integrated digital offering,” he said.

Vida e Caffè recently opened its 400th store in Cape Town, growing from a single store in the Mother City into an international brand.

The company started in 2001 and drew inspiration from the street cafés of Portugal, infusing those stylings with African energy. Vida e Caffè means “coffee and life” in Portuguese.

From a single neighbourhood coffee shop, Vida has grown into an international brand, with locations in Ghana, Mauritius, Zambia, Eswatini, Botswana, Namibia and Angola.

The company has undergone growth projects in recent years.

This included the acquisition of the healthy restaurant chain Sweetbeet in 2021, which has locations in the Western Cape and Gauteng.

It has also partnered extensively with other companies, including complimentary coffee for Lift Airline customers and the installation of Vida coffee bars in SPARs and Exclusive Books stores.

The brand also offers forecourt services, corporate partnerships, food trucks and drive-thru coffee locations. It also sells its goods on Uber Eats and Mr D, and has its own app.

Shoprite results boosted by Sixty60

Shoprite has seen its earnings grow in the 2026 financial year, with its Checkers Sixty60 operations recording a remarkable 34.5% increase in sales.

Shoprite is currently South Africa’s largest retailer by revenue and one of the country’s largest employers, with over 174,000 staff.

The group reported a 7.1% increase in revenue to R274.8 billion, up from R256.6 billion at the end of the 2025 financial year.

The increase was largely due to the company’s sales growth, which rose by 7.2% year-on-year.

The growth in revenue and sales led to a 12.2% increase in headline earnings per share, which were reported at R15.27.

Most of Shoprite’s revenue comes from its supermarket operations in South Africa, which accounted for R228.7 billion in sales for 2026.

In contrast, Shoprite’s supermarket operations outside South Africa generated R22.8 billion in sales, a fraction of the sales generated by South African chains.

Shoprite and Usave, the group’s supermarket chains, focused on affordability and saw muted growth, with sales rising by approximately 4.3%.

The two supermarket chains, excluding Shoprite Liquor, opened a combined 83 stores in the last financial year, increasing their footprint to 1,259 stores.

Shoprite’s other major retail brand, Checkers, reported stronger growth, with sales rising by 10% to R105.2 billion.

In the past year, Checkers and Checkers Hyper also increased their footprint, adding 32 new stores to a total of 382 supermarkets in South Africa.

While the physical business segments reported growing sales volumes, the largest jump came from Checkers Sixty60.

The grocery delivery service had a 34.5% increase in sales volume, reporting R25.5 billion in sales in the 2026 financial year.

This means the app-centred delivery service generated an additional R6.6 billion in sales, more than the combined additional sales volume of Shoprite and Usave.

Checkers Sixty60 launched at the end of 2019 in select areas, such as Cape Town and Johannesburg, offering grocery delivery services.

Beyond its large operations, the company has expanded into new brands, including Petshop Science, Checkers Outdoor, Little Me, and Uniq Clothing.

Across its adjacent businesses, Shoprite increased its footprint by 54 stores, most of which were Petshop Science outlets.

Shoprite Financials