Food store cheaper than Checkers and Pick n Pay launched in new South African city

Best Before, which offers products at lower prices than Checkers, Pick n Pay, and Spar, has launched a new store in Pretoria.

Best Before is a discount store chain that offers lower prices on fast-moving consumer goods that are close to or past their best-before date.

The company explained that the best-before date on most items estimates how long a product will remain at optimal quality.

The retailer buys large quantities of products around their best-before date, which it gets at great discounts. These discounts are then passed on to consumers.

The short and past-dated food and personal care products remain within their use-by dates, meaning they are safe to use.

Best Before highlighted that it only stocks products from trusted and reputable suppliers, and stringent quality control ensures they are safe to use.

These stores are popular in countries like Europe and Australia. However, this business model did not really exist in South Africa.

This prompted Mark Gordon and Alain Soriano to launch Best Before in South Africa in 2017. It was an instant hit.

They rapidly grew their presence in Johannesburg and partnered with South Africa’s largest food suppliers to deliver quality food at low prices.

This success prompted it to launch a store in the Atterbury Lifestyle Centre in Faerie Glen, east of Pretoria.

Best Before has taken over the space of Petzone, which, along with its parent company, Westpack Lifestyle, has fallen on hard times.

This is the first Best Before store outside of Johannesburg and brings the retail chain’s presence to seven stores.

• Boksburg – East Rand Mall, Bentel Avenue, Jansen Park, Boksburg.
• Sandton – Woodmead Shopping Centre, 147 Western Service Rd, Woodmead.
• Edenvale – Edenglen Retail Centre, Cnr Harris And Lopis Place, Edenglen
• Fourways – Waterford Centre on Witkoppen Road.
• Northcliff – Blackheath Galleries, 231 Beyers Naude Drive.
• Krugersdorp – Rangeview Centre, Robert Broom Drive, Rangeview.
• Pretoria – Atterbury Lifestyle Centre, Faerie Glen

Best Before announced its Pretoria launch was a great success, with long queues of people excited to try out the store.

“We received so many compliments and statements of joy that we’re finally in Pretoria, even though people had to experience long queues,” Best Before said.

The success of Best Before shows that many South Africans are looking for lower-priced food and other household items.

The success of Temu and Shein in the eCommerce market reflects the same demand for lower-priced goods.

The two Chinese online retailers offer exceptionally affordable products and have shown exceptional growth.

Best Before taps into the same demand through its seven brick-and-mortar shops and its online store, which services clients in Gauteng.

Best Before Pretoria launch