FORECOURT FOOD: Foresight into South African petrol station forecourts
At R33 billion, the market for petrol station forecourts in South Africa, is being dominated by convenience stores like OK Express, SPAR Express, Pick ‘n Pay Express, Astron Freshstop and Woolworths Foodstop. According to Trade Intelligence data, these brands have experienced significant growth over the last five years with 145 new store openings and a 44.6% increase. There was an 8.5% increase in forecourt retail sales for the year 2023, result ing in a total of R33 billion in sales within this sector. Over the past five years, there has been a 14.5% growth in the size of fuel forecourts, resulting in the opening of nearly 600 new stores since 2019. As a market leader, OK Express, owned by Shoprite, boasts partnerships with both Puma and TotalEnergies.
Image - Aurora Africa ad Issue 2 2025
As the brand is reinventing itself, OK Express stores are increasingly making their presence felt in Sasol petrol stations across the country. With a franchise division in place, OK’s brand portfolio boasts more than 500 stores throughout South Africa, which includes OK Foods and OK MiniMark. Both parties benefit when petrol station forecourts grant individual stores the freedom to create their own distinct identities and offering exclusive products tailored to their specific market. The petrol station owner, as a franchisee, is given the opportunity to be part of the convenience store’s achievements.
SPAR has joined forces with Shell with its express brand, despite the fact that Shell already has its own convenience stores, Shell Select. By using their franchise model, SPAR Express success has also proven successful for Shell. Pick n Pay has partnered with BP petrol stations in South Africa, expanding its presence throughout the country.
With South Africa’s major retailers expanding into the petrol station forecourt market, it is worth noting that FreshStop, owned by Food Lovers Market, holds a strong position as the leading competitor. FreshStop’s collaboration with Astron Energy (Caltex) has been highly beneficial for the company. Woolworths’s Foodstop brand can be found in many Engen garages, but unlike its other stores, these are all owned by franchisees. The partnership between Glencore and Caltex started in 2009 and was recently renewed for another decade, with Glencore taking the lead in rebranding petrol stations as Astron Energy garages.
The Caltex/Astron Energy forecourt network boasts a nationwide reach, currently operating at over 800 sites. Since its launch in 2009, Food Lovers Market has dedicated nearly R1 billion towards the developmentof the FreshStop brand with over 300 Freshstop stores, resulting in remarkable growth and the acquisition of Seattle Coffee Company as well. FreshStop CEO Joe Boyle says “We are delighted with the extended agreement,” the extension of the partnership resulted in the creation of more than 7 000 jobs due to the convenience store’s growth. According to Trade Intelligence’s Retail Analyst, Sandy Sutton, forecourt retail stores are expected to experience significant growth in the future due to their independence from fuel sales.
In fact, these stores have shown a strong increase over the last five years despite a decline in fuel sales. Convenience is a growing factor in competition among South Africa’s top retailers. It seems that fuel retailers are increasing their attention towards forecourt retail in
order to boost their revenue. As convenience stores continue to generate significant profits for established retailers, their presence within forecourts will continuously expand.
Read the full article here: FORECOURT FOOD: Foresight into South African petrol station forecourts
