Shoprite, South Africa’s largest corporate employer, says it has surpassed the number of stores it planned to open in this financial year with a month still to go, underscoring the pace of its expansion in the country’s fiercely contested grocery sector.The retailer opened 268 stores across its core Supermarkets RSA segment in the first 11 months of its 2026 financial year, well ahead of the 223 stores originally planned for the full 12 months, it said.The rollout included 41 Shoprite supermarkets, 30 Checkers stores, 48 Usave outlets and 92 LiquorShop branches. Shoprite said newer formats also outpaced expectations, with Petshop Science opening 38 stores against a target of 23 while UNIQ clothing by Checkers opened 13 stores versus a planned five.(Dorothy Kgosi) “Thousands of new jobs were created throughout South Africa as the group expanded its footprint across all nine provinces,” Shoprite said.The expansion comes as consumers continue to prioritise affordability and convenience amid sustained pressure on household budgets.Shoprite said Gauteng accounted for the bulk of new openings at 82 stores, followed by the Western Cape with 48 and KwaZulu-Natal with 31.The group spent R3.9bn on its store network in the first half of its 2026 financial year alone with much of that capital directed at growing and upgrading its South African operations, it said.The expansion also underpins Shoprite’s broader push into omnichannel retail with its corporate-owned store base — placing it within 5km of 85% of South African households, serving as the backbone for online ordering and delivery.CEO Pieter Engelbrecht previously said in the company’s 2025 results that the group remained focused on strengthening its customer offering through its physical footprint. “Our strategy to continue the conversion of existing stores to our winning FreshX format while opening stores in areas we are under-represented remains one of our top priorities over the medium term,” he said.The aggressive rollout comes as Shoprite extends a seven-year run of market share gains, according to Trade Intelligence data, while some competitors’ gains have come through restructuring and store closures rather than organic customer growth.Boxer has also gained ground, the market researcher said, partly through the conversion of former Pick n Pay stores into Boxer outlets. Pick n Pay and Spar have seen shopper penetration decline in recent years.In its 2026 financial year Boxer opened 51 stores, creating about 3,400 jobs, Business Day reported.Checkers has been a key driver of Shoprite’s growth as it targets more premium food retail customers, while Shoprite and Usave continue to anchor the group’s value-conscious offering.Last year Shoprite opened a net number of 281 stores during the 12 months, creating 8,723 jobs. The group posted record sales surpassing R250bn with revenue up 8.6%.Results for the 2026 financial year are expected to be released in September.