Woolworths (officially Woolworths Holdings Limited, and colloquially known as Woolies) is a South African multinational retail company headquartered in Cape Town. Founded in 1931, the company owns the South African luxury department store and grocery chain Woolworths, the Australian retailer Country Road, and South Africa's largest pet store chain, Absolute Pets.[1] As of 2025, the group employs around 32,000 people.[2]
The South African division of Woolworths comprises luxury goods retail, including fashion, homeware, and beauty products. Standalone food stores and "Food Stops" attached to Engen gas stations are located in metropolitan areas across South Africa.
A major part of the group, Woolworths Financial Services (WFS), offers store cards, credit cards, revolving loans, and pet insurance to consumers. In its 2024 fiscal year, WFS accounted for 4% of Woolworths' revenue.[3]
As of 2025, Woolworths has a total of 1,591 locations. The company operates 366 food stores and 225 department stores in South Africa, as well as a total of 97 stores in its Engen outlets and 93 stores across the rest of Africa.[4]
The company also operates 180 Absolute Pets stores and 630 Country Road stores (88 of which are in South Africa, with the remainder in Australasia). In total, as of its 2025 fiscal year, Woolworths has a retail trading area covering around 832000 m2.[4] 89% of Woolworths' stores are in Africa, with the remaining 11% in Australia.[3]
Woolworths also operates WCafe, a chain of approximately 220 cafés that vary in size– from full-service, sit-down restaurants, to coffee bars with their own counters integrated into Woolworths stores, to smaller barista stations outside certain food stores. The cafés also facilitate bakery orders. WCafe is a prominent brand within the South African coffeehouse market and is among those with the highest number of outlets.[5][6]
History
Founded by Max Sonnenberg, Woolworths first opened its doors on 30 October 1931 on Plein Street, Cape Town, in the dining room of the recently closed Royal Hotel. Its early success led to the opening of two additional stores in the Cape region.[7]
It soon became evident that the new business had the potential to expand nationwide, although a lack of capital initially hindered this prospect. Sonnenberg's friend, Elie Susman, provided the necessary funds for expansion into the Transvaal and subsequently became his business partner.[8]
The choice of the name originated from Sonnenberg's friendship with a London shipper and financier, Percy (P.R.) Lewis. Lewis was a director of Australasian Chain Stores (ACS), a London shipping and finance house established to serve a rapidly expanding Australian business founded by W.T. Christmas.[9]
London shippers frequently provided financing and selected goods sight unseen, which were then dispatched to their clients. Since the (now defunct) American company F.W. Woolworth Company had no interest in trading in Australia, "Father" Christmas– as he was known– adopted the name for his new enterprise. Lewis proposed to Sonnenberg that ACS could supplement "Father" Christmas's order sheet and send a scaled-down quantity of each successive item from Australia to South Africa.
Operations
Woolies operates numerous different formats of stores, including:[23]
The company also operates Woolworths Financial Services, as well as Country Road Group.[23]
- Woolworths (department stores with food, clothing, and homeware)
- Woolworths Food Emporium (large grocery stores)
- Woolworths Food (medium grocery stores)
- Woolworths Food Market (small grocery stores)
- WCafé (coffeehouses)
- Absolute Pets (pet stores)
Brands
The company sells clothing and accessories under several brands, including Studio W, RE:, and Edition, while also representing the Group's Australian brands, including Country Road, Witchery, and Trenery.[23]
Corporate affairs and culture
Good Business Journey
Launched in 2007, the Good Business Journey set specific public sustainability targets for the company.[24] It also aims to ensure a consistent approach to addressing sustainability issues across its global supply chain, as part of Woolworths' stated ambition to be the most sustainable retailer in the Southern Hemisphere.[25]
In 2016, the company introduced its GBJ 2020 goals, which included integrating the programme into the Group's Australian businesses– now accounting for over forty percent of turnover.[26][27]
The WHL Group's GBJ 2020 commitments include contributing over R3.5 billion to communities across the Group over the subsequent five years; saving 500 billion litres of water during the same period; halving the company's energy impact by 2020 and achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2030; driving responsible sourcing of all key commodities by 2020; and ensuring that every
Controversies
Christian magazines
In October 2010, Woolworths faced criticism for its decision to remove Christian magazines from its shelves and discontinue their sale. This move sparked significant backlash from the Christian community, with many calling for a boycott of the retailer.[38] Woolworths maintained that the decision was purely business-driven, with CEO Simon Susman attributing it to declining sales.[38] Following the public outcry, the company reinstated the five magazines to its shelves.[39]
Affirmative action
In September 2012, Woolworths faced allegations of racial discrimination after being accused of excluding white job applicants and staff.[40]
See also
- Retailing in South Africa
External links
References
- Moneyweb. In battle for pets, Shoprite is catching Woolies fast Moneyweb, 30 September 2025, retrieved 5 October 2025^
- Annual Financial Statements, 2024 Woolworths Holdings, September 2024, retrieved 19 June 2025^
- Integrated Annual Report, 2024