Retail

Inside the new ultra-luxury Woolworths in South Africa’s richest city

Shaun Jacobs • 31 August 2026

Daily Investor visited the new Woolworths Food Emporium in Dainfern Square to experience what the retailer’s new store format offers customers.

The Food Emporium store is larger than a traditional Woolworths store and offers enhanced bakery, butchery, and fishmonger services.

One difference is the enhanced customisation available to clients, who can request specific cuts from the in-house butchers and fishmongers.

There is also an upgraded florist where customers can handpick seasonal flowers and craft custom-made-to-order bouquets.

The newest feature is what Woolworths calls Our Kitchen, which is a live innovation kitchen and a hub at the centre of the store.

At this island, customers can sample dishes made by Woolworths’ chefs and immediately purchase the featured ingredients.

By far the largest difference is the store’s size. What would ordinarily be confined to a shelf, island, or aisle gets its own space in the Food Emporium.

The confectionery, for example, is typically a single aisle in a Woolworths store. At the Food Emporium, it gets an entire room to itself. The same applies to the pet offering.

Woolworths’ in-store WCellar has also been upgraded at the Food Emporium, which is referred to as a wine alcove.

The Food Emporium store is also laid out differently from a typical Woolworths outlet, with far greater space between aisles and sections.

With the bakery and Our Kitchen retaining their presence at the centre of the store, and fresh fruit and vegetables remaining at the entrance, other goods are packaged differently.

Grocery aisles are reorganised around meals and cuisines rather than the product type. This results in Italian, Mexican, and Winter Warmers sections.

These sections are designed to streamline meal inspiration, with all products located in a single area within the store.

The launch of the Food Emporium store should not be seen as a revolution at Woolworths, but rather an evolution of what it offers throughout its store network.

By and large, the offerings are the same as those one would get at a ‘normal’ store, just with more space, enhanced organisation, and greater practicality.

This new store format is partly a response to heightening competition in South Africa’s premium retail sector, where Woolworths has historically had a monopoly.

Checkers has tried to crack into this market with its FreshX stores and enhanced Checkers Foods offerings. Its Sixty60 delivery service remains the crown jewel.

Rather than reinventing the Woolworths store and brand, the Food Emporium store refines the retailer’s strengths and scales them.

The aim is to make clear that Woolworths is an elevated experience, with greater product variety on display, visual quality being emphasised, and specialised service offered.