Except for a brief time in the early 2010s, Shoprite has always had more stores than Pick n Pay. In the past three years, it has been on a new store drive.

Started as an 8-store family franchise in the Western Cape in 1979, Shoprite now has more than 3,500 stores. It adds a new store every day.

Between 2014 and 2023, the number of Shoprite stores (including franchises) increased from 1,581 to 3,543. Pick n Pay went from 1,128 to 2,204 stores over the same period.

Almost 90% of Shoprite’s stores are in South Africa. It has a presence in 9 other countries on the continent, mostly in southern and eastern Africa, including Namibia (163 stores), Eswatini (62) and Zambia (52). It has 7 stores in Ghana.

Over 90% of Pick n Pay’s stores are in South Africa. The remaining stores are in 7 countries, including Zimbabwe (72) and Namibia (35).