Retail

Inside South Africa’s oldest grocery store

Kirsten Minnaar • 2 March 2026

With a history dating back more than 130 years, Thrupps is South Africa’s first grocery store, and it is still thriving today.

Thrupps was founded in 1892 by Charles Henry Thrupp during South Africa’s gold rush. Thrupp had left the United Kingdom for King Williams Town, in South Africa, where he worked as a wholesaler.

After several years of successful trade, the business fell on hard times and was forced to close in 1892. Still seeing Johannesburg’s potential, Thrupp decided to acquire the grocery side of that business.

So, later that year, Thrupp opened his own business on the busy and dusty corner of President and Eloff Street in the centre of town.

He noticed that imported goods were particularly popular with his customers, and he soon became the business of choice for the discerning customer who wanted quality local produce and imported specialities.

A key part of Thrupps’ business was its daily delivery service, which started with horse-drawn vehicles and bicycles, which were later replaced by motorised vehicles.

This service, together with monthly accounts, a home and gift section, food hampers, catering and a vast array of the best local and imported foods, made Thrupps a unique South African grocery store.

Unfortunately, he was forced to leave Johannesburg when the Anglo-Boer War broke out in 1899, and only returned after the war ended in 1902, when he reestablished the business at a prime Pritchard Street address.

The site was located a mere erf away from the highly valued intersection of Eloff and Pritchard Street. Thrupp also opened two wine and spirit stores in 1902 and 1903 in Penlan House on Eloff Street and Jeppestown.

The store occupied several premises in Johannesburg before a major move to Rosebank in the northern suburbs in 1947, which later became its headquarters in 1966.

After World War II, over one million food parcels were packed and posted to Britain, which meant an added workload of 1,000 parcels a day for four years.

In the 1990s, Thrupp moved the business to the Thrupps Illovo Centre at 204 Oxford Road in Illovo, between the busy Rosebank and Sandton precincts. This location still houses the Thrupps flagship store today.

Shopping at Thrupps today

The Thrupps’ business is still going strong today. It can still be found at the Illovo Centre, as well as the Total forecourt, in Senderwood, Bedfordview.

“Through carefully balancing old-world values with modern technology and systems, Thrupps caters for a wide range of customers and is well placed to expand the service ethic which remains the cornerstone of their business,” Thrupps states.

“The future will always be determined by customer needs, and Thrupps will provide a full service and product to make your in-store shopping as entertaining as possible.”

As a premium grocery store, customers can expect to spend a bit more than they would at Woolworths. However, while the store may charge premium prices, it also offers a wide variety of unique, local, and imported goods.

This includes products such as pollen, homemade fish pies, internationally sourced cheeses, its famous three-in-one “Turducken” and organic produce.

Thrupp’s delivery service, which started with horse-drawn carriages, also still exists today. To use this service, customers can phone, fax, or email their delivery order to Thrupps.

If they do so before 11h00, Monday to Friday, and before 09h30 on Saturdays, they qualify for same-day delivery within our surrounding suburbs. A delivery fee of R47 applies within a 10km radius.

The store also offers several other speciality products and services, such as catering, Thrupps’ hampers, and flower and gift services.

Thrupps wraps gifts, packs picnic baskets for special occasions, and helps customers coordinate wedding lists and gift suggestions.