Food Lover’s Market is rewriting the retail playbook with the launch of its new shopping destination at Sandown Retail Crossing - a R80 million investment designed to delight shoppers and offer an exceptional shopping experience.

Spanning 6,500m², it includes a 5,500m² Food Lover’s Market alongside a Market Liquors, VetsMart, and Seattle Coffee Co. This new development signals the future of brick-and-mortar food retail for Southern Africa.

A New Benchmark in Retail

Food Lover’s Market Sandown is designed to set high retail standards with 14 departments under one roof, from fresh produce and a premium butchery to scratch bakery, full-service seafood department, sushi, and fast-growing customer favourites like Smashed Burgers and Hot Chicken. Apart from an expanded grocery offering, this store will have specialist counters which include cheese, spice, and a vibrant juice bar. Customers who return the holder originally purchased at The Juice Bar will be able to buy their juice at a discounted price, while a dedicated Seeds of Change section features locally produced goods from Food Lover’s Market social enterprise suppliers - this is all designed to reinforce the retailer’s commitment to sustainability.

Innovation in Action

This store is designed to surprise and delight. Sandown shoppers will be the first in the country to enjoy Food Lover’s Market’s New York-style cookies, a bold new range baked fresh in-store. The scratch bakery is also expanding with an array of artisanal breads and desserts unique to Food Lover’s Market. A high-end pantry offering will showcase premium products from famous local and international brands such as Babylonstoren, Super Sconto, Chaloner, La Marina, Adriatic, Clear World and Funky Ouma salts and spices. The Cookery, a new kitchenware zone, gives customers access to top-quality cookware and utensils.

Sustainable by Design

Sandown is more than just square metres - it’s a showcase of future-fit retail. Smart LED lighting, energy-efficient refrigeration, and solar power supplying a third of the store’s energy needs demonstrate a clear investment in sustainability. Combined with robust recycling systems and community upliftment initiatives, Food Lover’s Market Sandown is designed for generations to come, not just short-term gains.

People Power

The store employs 220 colleagues, the majority recruited from Parklands, Dunoon and Atlantis. Led by 16-year Food Lover’s Market veteran store manager Leo Pan, the team represents a direct investment in skills development and job creation.

Growth With Purpose

The Food Lover’s Market Sandown retail hub is a strategic marker in Food Lover’s Market’s growth journey. Following the opening of Greendale in Zimbabwe and Knysna earlier this year,   major revamps have included Oudtshoorn, Springfield, George, and Brackenfell. On the horizon in September is Tzaneen, followed by Longbeach, Bassonia and Ottery. The exciting flagship store, River Quarter, opens in November. River Quarter is located on Bottelary Road in Brackenfell - between Soneike and Haasendal.

“Sandown is not just another store opening - it’s a blueprint for the future of Food Lover’s Market,” says Travis Coppin, CEO of Food Lover’s Market’s Retail Division. “It reflects our focus on sustainable operations, job creation, and delivering a customer experience like no other - all underpinned by an unwavering commitment to real food, real family and real value.”

The Sandown store represents more than a retail launch - it’s a clear signal that Food Lover’s Market is scaling with ambition, blending financial investment with innovation and purpose to deliver long-term competitive advantage.

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