Retail

Inside the new luxury OK store with a dedicated sushi bar, wine section, and restaurant

Bianke Neethling • 15 July 2026

OK Foods recently opened a larger and more premium store format in Edenvale, Johannesburg, that contains a sushi bar, wine section, and an entire segment dedicated to wellness.

The store also features an Urban Barista Brew coffee bar with sit-down seating, a Rib ‘n Rooster quick service restaurant, a bakery, and a deli.

Opened in April 2026, the store is located in the Stoneridge Centre in Edenvale and represents a modernised franchise format for the OK brand.

While the OK brand is owned by Shoprite, which also owns Checkers and Usave, it operates under a franchise model, meaning each store is unique and tailored to the needs of its surrounding community.

The OK Foods store in Stoneridge is owned by veteran retailers Peter and John Baladakis, who operate numerous franchise stores with their company, the AJP Group.

Founded by Alexander Baladakis, AJP is a multi-network retail enterprise that owns malls and shopping centres across South Africa.

Aside from the OK store in Edenvale, the Baladakises operate three other OK stores, namely OK Urban Glen Curve, OK Express Brentwood, and OK Express Elgin.

According to Shoprite, the Baladakis’ OK store in Edenvale represents a new format for the brand and was designed with convenience in mind.

Spanning 2,701 m², this OK Foods store is larger than many of the other stores in the brand’s network, providing a more elevated shopping experience.

It features a range of specialist in-store departments, including a dedicated sushi bar, a wine section, and a segment dedicated entirely to wellness products.

The store also features an Urban Barista Brew coffee bar, a Rib ‘n Rooster restaurant, a bakery and a deli, as well as a selection of ready-made meals.

Next to the OK Foods is an OK Liquor store, which opened on the same day. According to Shoprite, these two store openings created 72 new employment opportunities.

OK is gaining traction

In Shoprite’s latest annual report for the 2025 financial year, it said the OK Franchise business is gaining valuable traction.

The brand has a total of 537 stores in South Africa and 78 stores in other African countries. In 2025, Shoprite’s sales to these franchised stores increased by 6.7%.

Shoprite said it expects that these franchised stores will continue to grow in the coming years, with several positive developments set to support their growth.

OK franchises are set to benefit from Shoprite’s recently launched franchise training academy, which includes an e-learning platform teaching best-practice standard operating guidelines.

OK franchises are also increasingly being integrated into the Shoprite Group’s ecosystems and platforms.

“Our aim is to align the franchise operations within the group’s integrated technology landscape to enable the consistent, scalable and customer-driven retail experience,” the company said.

“We are working closely with our franchisees to provide access to our technology products, services, and expertise to encourage their success.”

Shoprite said it would leverage its strong buying power and supply chain capabilities to ensure that franchisees can offer an appropriate mix of national brands and private labels.

Given Shoprite’s scope as the biggest retailer in Africa, the group can also leverage its access to consumer data to provide guidance to franchisees.

This guidance can inform franchisees on different product ranges to minimise the likelihood of them being left with costly, obsolete stock on their shelves.

For example, one of the main features of the new OK Foods store in Edenvale is its wide range of exclusive private label brands.

Shoprite said the group has honed in on incorporating private-label brands, as they provide higher margins, greater profitability, and improved consumer perceptions of pricing.

“We see our OK franchisees as key partners in the Shoprite Group’s business,” the company explained in its annual report.

Looking ahead, Shoprite said it plans to further expand the OK brand’s footprint, leveraging the group’s existing product ecosystem.

This includes products such as Money Market counters, Xtra Savings, and data analytics, which will be used to advance precision retailing to the advantage of franchisees.

Daily Investor recently visited the new OK store in the Stoneridge Centre. Some of the photos below were taken during that visit, along with photos released by Shoprite when the store first opened.