Econofoods

Name

Econofoods

Legal name

Econo Foods (PTY) Ltd

Website

https://econofoods.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloemfontein

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices51 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Physical retail sales of frozen foods, chilled foods, and groceries through company-owned stores and factory shops across South Africa and Lesotho
2. E-commerce Online Sales: Online store sales with same-day delivery for orders placed prior to 13:00 in selected areas, including Click & Collect options
3. Food Service/B2B Sales: Supply of products to restaurants, grocery stores, and food service businesses through dedicated sales department

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Econofoods sells frozen foods, chilled foods, and a wide variety of groceries to individual shoppers through company-owned retail stores, factory shops, an e-commerce online store with same-day delivery, and a Click & Collect service. It additionally supplies independent grocery stores, restaurants, and food service businesses through a dedicated sales department operating from regional distribution centres in South Africa and Lesotho.

Product overview

Econofoods is a South African grocery retailer operating a multi-channel distribution model consisting of physical retail stores, factory shops, an e-commerce platform, and a foodservice division. The company sells frozen and chilled foods alongside a wide variety of groceries. Core offerings include the online store (shop.econofoods.co.za) enabling online ordering with same-day delivery, a mobile app for iOS and Android, approximately 50+ physical retail locations across South Africa and Lesotho, factory outlet shops, a dedicated foodservice division for B2B customers, and a recipes platform. The business model centers on providing quality products at competitive prices with customer satisfaction as the core focus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Econofoods Online Store E-commerce platform (shop.econofoods.co.za) enabling online shopping for groceries, frozen foods, and chilled products, with same-day delivery to selected areas for orders placed prior to 13:00.
• Econofoods Mobile App Mobile application available on the Google Play Store enabling customers to stay updated on the latest news, monthly specials, and order information.
• Econofoods Retail Stores Over 50 physical retail stores across 9 South African provinces (Free State, Gauteng, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo) and Lesotho, offering frozen and chilled foods and a wide variety of groceries.
• Econofoods Factory Shops Factory outlet stores offering discounted Econofoods products, including locations in Hilton (Bloemfontein), Kimberley, and other areas, often with extended trading hours.
• Econofoods Foodservice Division B2B foodservice division (foodservices.econofoods.co.za) supplying grocery stores, restaurants, and food service businesses that stock and sell Econofoods products, supported by regional sales contacts.
• Click & Collect Online ordering with in-store pickup at the nearest Econofoods store location, complementing same-day delivery in selected areas.
• Same-Day Delivery Service Same-day home delivery for online orders placed prior to 13:00, available in selected delivery areas across South Africa, powered by the company's network of 9 distribution centres.

Quantifiable outcome

• Same day delivery for orders placed prior to 13:00

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shoprite Holdings: Largest grocery retailer in South Africa, operating supermarkets, Checkers and Usave formats across all nine provinces and several African countries. Directly comparable multi-channel grocery competitor with significantly larger scale and similar frozen/chilled category exposure.
• Pick n Pay Stores: Second-largest South African grocery chain operating supermarkets, Boxer and online grocery. Directly comparable multi-format grocery competitor with overlapping customer segments and store footprint in many of the same provinces.
• SPAR Group: Franchised grocery and convenience retailer with a strong distribution centre network across Southern Africa. Comparable operating model combining corporate distribution, retail stores and B2B supply to independent retailers, mirroring Econofoods' foodservice-to-grocer channel.
• Woolworths Holdings: Premium South African grocery and fashion retailer with strong private-label food offering and online grocery. Comparable multi-channel grocery operator with overlapping frozen/chilled assortment and click-and-collect / delivery capabilities.
• Food Lover's Market: Specialty fresh and convenience grocery retailer operating across South Africa with strong frozen, chilled and prepared foods focus. Closely comparable category mix and mid-market positioning to Econofoods, with similar emphasis on quality and freshness.
• Cambridge Food: South African frozen and convenience food retailer operating smaller-format stores across multiple provinces. Directly comparable for its specialist focus on frozen foods combined with grocery essentials, overlapping Econofoods' core category positioning.
• Checkers (Shoprite subsidiary): Value-oriented supermarket subsidiary of Shoprite with aggressive expansion in frozen foods and online grocery (Checkers Sixty60). Comparable to Econofoods in mid-market frozen-led positioning and direct same-day delivery competitive overlap.
• Boxer Superstores: Discount grocery subsidiary of Pick n Pay with rapid expansion across South Africa. Directly comparable as a value-focused grocery competitor increasingly active in frozen/chilled categories and B2B supply to smaller retailers.

Regional players

• Choppies Enterprises: Botswana-based grocery retailer expanding into Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho). Comparable cross-border Southern African grocery operator with similar store density and proximity to Econofoods' Lesotho footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Massmart Holdings: South African retail holding company operating Makro (wholesale food club), Game and wholesale food distribution (Massfresh, Rhino). Comparable as a broader food retail and B2B foodservice player with overlapping frozen/chilled food wholesale reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/econo_foods
• Facebookfacebook.com/econofoodsofficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/econofoods_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/econo-foods

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Econofoods