New R13 billion battleground for Checkers, Pick n Pay, Woolworths and SPAR in South Africa

South Africa’s pet care market is set to grow to R12.6 billion by 2032, and local retailers are set up to compete for market share in this new battleground.

The pet care market has become increasingly attractive over the past few years, positioned as one of the country’s most resilient consumer segments, despite South Africans slashing their overall household budgets.

This has seen some of South Africa’s biggest grocery retailers expand their operations to cater specifically to pet owners, with acquisitions and new product launches positioning them well for the growing competition in the pet care market.

Montego Pet Nutrition managing director Johan van Jaarsveld explained in a recent press release that South Africa’s pet care market is currently valued at around R8 billion.

However, he said this market is projected to reach R12.6 billion by 2032. This projected growth, combined with resilient consumer spending on pet care, has made this market highly attractive to local retailers.

Van Jaarsveld explained that the country’s pet market continues to grow, despite the fact that around half of South African households cut discretionary spending towards the end of 2025. 

“This isn’t an anomaly. It is evidence that the category has fundamentally changed,” he said.

“For the 45% of adults who own pets – many spending R30,000 to R60,000 in the first year alone – this is no longer discretionary. It is household budget that’s protected even when everything else gets cut.”

He explained that the driver of this resilient spending is “pet humanisation”, with 97% of pet owners now considering their animals family members. This, he said, has migrated pet care from “nice-to-have” to non-negotiable in many household budgets.

“When budgets tighten, surveys show consumers cut dining out, personal grooming, and fitness. Pet expenditure stays or increases,” he said.

Van Jaarsveld said this has made the market highly compelling for retailers, with pet food accounting for 74% of the total pet care market value and supermarkets and hypermarkets accounting for 61.45% of distribution.

“For retailers, the category offers a rare combination – higher margins than many FMCG staples, strong brand loyalty in an era of promiscuous switching, and basket-building potential as pet owners purchase food, toys, bedding, and grooming products in single trips,” he said.

Frontrunners

As the attractiveness of the pet market has grown over the past few years, South Africa’s biggest food retailers have started to position themselves to cater specifically for pet owners.

This has taken the form of specific acquisitions and expanded offers geared towards the pet market.

While most of South Africa’s retailers have offered pet care products as part of their normal stock and product offerings, Shoprite’s Checkers was one of the first local retailers to expand into the pet care market with a tailored offering.

In 2021, Checkers was the first South African supermarket to launch a pet shop with a vast selection of products at supermarket prices.

Named Petshop Science, these stores offer private label food ranges and other pet care products at “supermarket prices”.

By December 2021, Petshop Science had 10 stores across South Africa. At the time, the retailer explained that this launch was in response to the country’s growing pet economy.

In its latest operational update for the six months ended 28 December 2025, Shoprite revealed that Petshop Science’s store network has grown to 173 stores, with 45 added just over the past year.

A few years after Checkers announced its pet care offering, in 2023, Woolworths announced its plans to acquire 93.45% of the shares in Absolute Pets.

Previously owned by Sanlam Private Equity and Absolute Pets management, this acquisition, which has now been completed, was made to complement Woolworths’ existing pet care offering, WPet. 

It also added over 150 stores to Woolworths’ footprint, rivalling Checkers’ pet store expansion.

“Pet care is a rapidly developing market with substantial growth potential,” the retailer said when the acquisition was approved.

“The acquisition of Absolute Pets accelerates Woolworths’ pet strategy by bringing together two strategically-aligned businesses, and positions the group to lead as the end-to-end pet care destination of choice in South Africa.”

Newcomers

South Africa’s two other major food retailers, Pick n Pay and SPAR, took a different direction.

SPAR very recently launched its answer to Woolworths and Checkers’ pet care offerings, “Pet Storey”.

In September 2023, SPAR opened its first Pet Storey shop in Boksburg, the first location in the retailer’s new pet store franchise.

The store was previously part of the Pet Masters network, which operated stores nationwide.

“This is a bold move designed to keep pace with evolving consumer lifestyles and the humanisation trend with pet parenting,” SPAR group business development executive Rob Philipson said at the first store’s opening.

SPAR said the target is to roll out 25 to 30 stores nationwide by the end of 2025 and to have a minimum of 100 stores by the end of 2026.

South Africa’s second-biggest food retailer, Pick n Pay, is taking its pet care offering in an entirely different direction.

Instead of launching standalone pet stores, Pick n Pay has kept its pet care offering purely in-house by launching a “Pet Club” as part of its Smart Shopper loyalty programme.

Like its Smart Shopper programme, the retailer’s Pet Club is free to join, with members able to get triple points and certain discounts on pet-related products sold at Pick n Pay stores.

The retailer has also collaborated with local insurer Dotsure to further appeal to South African pet owners, offering Pet Club members 50% off their pet insurance for the first three months.