Cashbuild
Cashbuild Limited is Southern Africa's largest building-materials retailer, operating 317 Cashbuild, Cashbuild Xtra, P&L Hardware, and Amper Alles stores across South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Namibia. It sells construction materials, tools, and home-improvement products to contractors, DIYers, and informal builders, supplemented by e-commerce, loyalty, and Capitec-backed financing.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cashbuild does
Cashbuild Limited is a publicly traded South African retailer (JSE ticker: CSB) operating 317 stores across Southern Africa — South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Namibia — following the 2026 exit from Malawi. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Upington, the company describes itself as "Southern Africa's largest retailer of building materials and related products" and employs between 5,001 and 10,000 people. Its store portfolio spans multiple formats: the core Cashbuild banner, the larger-format Cashbuild Xtra, the acquired P&L Hardware chain (established 1982), the recently acquired Amper Alles banner, and the Cabifit specialist division for premium cabinets and fittings.
The product catalogue covers the full construction lifecycle — site establishment, foundations, brickwork, concrete, doors and windows, roofing, ceilings, electrical, plumbing and bathroom/kitchen, decorative finishes, tools and hardware, outdoor and garden, and an emerging alternative-energy line (inverters, lithium batteries, generators, gas). Beyond physical retail, Cashbuild operates a transactional e-commerce site with online-only SKUs, a chat-commerce channel, a Bill-of-Materials calculation service, and DIY educational content distributed via social media and leaflets. Complementary financial services include the VIC loyalty programme, the Cashbuild Group Payment Card, and a consumer-finance partnership with Capitec Bank for home-improvement loans.
The business model is straightforward retail: unit-priced product sales in South African Rand across a dense store network, supplemented by financial services and adjacent revenue streams. The customer base is split across contractors, DIYers, and informal "Cash Builders," with no enterprise anchor customers. South Africa contributes 83% of total sales. Recent operating performance has been mixed in absolute terms but improving on a comparable basis: Q3 revenue grew 9%, YTD revenue grew 5%, comparable-store revenue grew 6%, and first-half HEPS rose 18% despite challenging consumer-spending conditions. The company is pursuing controlled expansion — opening new stores and acquiring Amper Alles locations — while closing underperformers and rationalising its geographic footprint.
Cashbuild firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cashbuild
- Legal name
- Cashbuild Limited
- Website
- https://cashbuild.co.za
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Cashbuild Limited is Southern Africa's largest building-materials retailer, operating 317 Cashbuild, Cashbuild Xtra, P&L Hardware, and Amper Alles stores across South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Namibia. It sells construction materials, tools, and home-improvement products to contractors, DIYers, and informal builders, supplemented by e-commerce, loyalty, and Capitec-backed financing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cashbuild industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Building Materials Retail
- NAICS
- Building Material and Supplies Dealers (4441), Home Centers (444110)
- SIC
- Retail-Auto & Home Supply Stores (5531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Concrete, Cement & Aggregates Retail (Bagged Mix, Sand, Gravel) (CRAIAEAG)
Keywords
Where Cashbuild is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Johannesburg
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cashbuild business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Sales: Physical retail store sales of building materials and hardware products to consumers and contractors. Revenue generated from product sales across 317 stores.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Unit pricing for individual products |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Cashbuild product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cashbuild is a retailer of building materials and associated products, operating 317 physical stores across Southern Africa under the Cashbuild, Cashbuild Xtra, P&L Hardware, and Amper Alles brands. The company sells bricks, cement, steel, roofing, plumbing, electrical, paint, doors, windows, tools, hardware, and garden/outdoor supplies to contractors, DIYers, and homeowners through retail stores and an e-commerce platform. It also offers complementary services including a VIC loyalty program, store-branded payment card, financing through Capitec, and a bill of materials calculation tool.
Product overview
Cashbuild operates as Southern Africa's largest building materials retailer, offering a platform-plus-physical-stores model. The core offering consists of the main Cashbuild brand supplemented by Cashbuild Xtra (extended range), Cabifit (premium cabinetry division with in-house custom services), P&L Hardware (acquired brand with delivery and specialty services), and Amper Alles (acquired chain). The product portfolio spans comprehensive building material categories including foundation materials (cement, steel, aggregates), brickwork, concrete products, doors and windows (with steel and wood door frames as featured categories), roofing, electrical supplies, plumbing/bathroom/kitchen fixtures, decorative paints and finishes, tools and hardware, outdoor/garden products, and alternative energy solutions (inverters, generators, gas). The company also offers complementary services including a VIC Loyalty program, Cashbuild Group Payment Card, chat commerce, financing options through Capitec, and a Bill of Materials calculation service. Recent expansion includes new store openings, acquisition of three Amper Alles stores, and exit from Malawi market.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cashbuild Xtra: Cashbuild Xtra offers more products and services than standard Cashbuild, competitive prices, expert advice, and support for contractors, DIYers, and homeowners.
- Cabifit
- P&L Hardware
- Amper Alles
Products and services
- Cashbuild retail stores Physical retail stores selling a wide range of building materials and hardware products to contractors, DIYers, and homeowners across Southern Africa. Includes bricks, cement, steel, roofing, plumbing, electrical, paint, tools, and hardware.
- Cashbuild Xtra
Companies that use Cashbuild
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cashbuild technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Cashbuild partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Capitec BankminorFinancial services partnership offering personal loans and home improvement financing options to customers. Capitec provides financing solutions for larger purchases through in-store partnerships and online lending.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cashbuild competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Builders Warehouse: Builders Warehouse is South Africa's largest home improvement and building materials big-box retailer, operated by Massmart (Walmart). Directly comparable to Cashbuild in core assortment (cement, bricks, timber, tools, paint) and shared contractor/DIY customer base, and the principal head-to-head competitor in the South African market.
- Build It: Build It is a major South African building materials and hardware retail chain operating across Southern Africa as part of the Foschini Group. Highly comparable to Cashbuild in store format, product mix, geographic footprint, and target market of contractors, DIYers, and small builders.
- Mica Hardware: Mica is one of Southern Africa's largest independent hardware buying groups with member stores across the region. Directly comparable to Cashbuild in serving smaller towns and offering a broad mix of building materials, tools, paint, and hardware to contractors and homeowners.
- Leroy Merlin South Africa: Leroy Merlin South Africa is the local subsidiary of the French DIY and home improvement retailer, operating big-box stores. Comparable to Cashbuild in core product categories (building materials, tools, paint, garden) and customer segments, with potentially stronger digital and private-label capabilities.
- CTM: CTM is a leading South African tile and home finishing retailer, part of the Italtile group. Comparable to Cashbuild in selling complementary home improvement products (tiles, sanitaryware, paint, adhesives) and targeting overlapping contractor and DIY customers.
- Buco Hardware: Buco is a South African independent hardware buying group with member stores across the country. Comparable to Cashbuild in serving smaller and mid-sized markets with a broad building materials, hardware, and DIY assortment targeting both trade and retail customers.
- Tile Africa: Tile Africa is a major South African tile retailer, also part of the Italtile group. Comparable to Cashbuild's decorative and finishing product categories and overlapping contractor/DIY customer base, particularly competing for flooring, bathroom, and kitchen spend.
Broad incumbents
- Home Depot: Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement retailer serving DIYers and professional contractors with a broad building materials assortment. Comparable to Cashbuild in business model, customer segments, and core categories, but operates at massive global scale with a much deeper private-label and digital offering.
- Lowe's: Lowe's is a leading US home improvement retailer serving DIYers and professional contractors. Comparable to Cashbuild in product mix, big-box store format, and customer base, though operating at substantially larger scale and with stronger omnichannel and loyalty infrastructure.
- Kingfisher: Kingfisher is a major European home improvement retailer (B&Q, Castorama, Screwfix) with operations in multiple geographies. Comparable to Cashbuild in core business model, product categories, and target customers, though operating at significantly larger scale and with more advanced digital capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cashbuild social profiles
Digital presenceCashbuild financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cashbuild leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cashbuild subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Cashbuild funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cashbuild M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cashbuild
What does Cashbuild do?
Cashbuild is a retailer of building materials and associated products, operating 317 physical stores across Southern Africa under the Cashbuild, Cashbuild Xtra, P&L Hardware, and Amper Alles brands. The company sells bricks, cement, steel, roofing, plumbing, electrical, paint, doors, windows, tools, hardware, and garden/outdoor supplies to contractors, DIYers, and homeowners through retail stores and an e-commerce platform. It also offers complementary services including a VIC loyalty program, store-branded payment card, financing through Capitec, and a bill of materials calculation tool.
Is Cashbuild a public or private company?
Cashbuild is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Cashbuild founded?
Cashbuild was founded in 1970. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Cashbuild based?
Cashbuild is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Cashbuild make money?
One revenue line is on record: retail Sales.
Who are Cashbuild's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Builders Warehouse, Build It, Mica Hardware, Leroy Merlin South Africa, CTM, Buco Hardware and Tile Africa. Broad incumbents are Home Depot, Lowe's and Kingfisher.
Does Cashbuild have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cashbuild.
What industry is Cashbuild in?
Cashbuild's product category is Building Materials Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIAEAG, Concrete, Cement & Aggregates Retail (Bagged Mix, Sand, Gravel). Its NAICS code is 4441 and its SIC code is 5531.