Woolworths (South Africa)

Woolworths (officially Woolworths Holdings Limited, and commonly referred to as Woolies) is a South African multinational retail company, headquartered in Cape Town. Founded in Cape Town, in 1931, the company owns the South African luxury department and grocery store chain, Woolworths, the Australian retailer Country Road, and South Africa's largest pet store chain, Absolute Pets. As of 2025, the group employs around 32,000 people.

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.

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.

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, Woolworths has, as of its 2025 fiscal year, a total retail trading area covering around 832,000 square meters. 89% of Woolworths' stores are in Africa, and the remaining 11% are in Australia.

Woolworths also operates WCafe, a chain of approximately 220 cafés that range in size from full-service, sit-down-style restaurants, to coffee bars with their own counters that are built into Woolworths stores, to smaller-format barista stations outside certain food stores. The cafés also facilitate bakery orders. WCafe is a prominent brand within the South African coffeehouse market, and among those with the highest number of outlets.