The Local Choice
The Local Choice is a privately held South African retail/pharmacy network founded in 2011 and based in Johannesburg, providing prescription medications, health products, and everyday essentials to general consumers via its physical network and a mobile app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Local Choice does
The Local Choice is a privately held South African company founded in 2011 and headquartered in Johannesburg. Per its firmographic profile, the company provides prescription medications, health products, and personalized health advice through an app and network, positioning it within the retail/pharmacy sector; separate source material characterizes it as a community-focused local retail brand offering convenient neighborhood access to essentials. The available data does not fully reconcile these two characterizations, but both point to a consumer-facing, physically distributed retail/health network operating domestically in South Africa.
The company's disclosed digital product is The Local Choice Mobile App, available on both Android and iOS, which delivers in-app promotions and digital access to the store's offerings. Distribution follows a self-serve, product-led model via app-store presence, with mobile app marketing serving as the primary top-of-funnel channel. The product portfolio, as evidenced, consists of a single customer-facing mobile application integrated with the company's underlying retail operations; no proprietary platform architecture, API, or advanced technical components are disclosed.
The business model, revenue mechanics, and pricing are not publicly disclosed in the available source materials. The company serves general consumers as its primary, horizontally segmented customer base, operating exclusively within South Africa. It reports a headcount of 1,001–5,000 employees, indicating meaningful operational scale relative to its limited public digital footprint, but no funding rounds, investors, revenue figures, or ownership relationships are evidenced.
The Local Choice firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Local Choice
- Legal name
- The Local Choice
- Website
- https://thelocalchoice.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- The Local Choice is a privately held South African retail/pharmacy network founded in 2011 and based in Johannesburg, providing prescription medications, health products, and everyday essentials to general consumers via its physical network and a mobile app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Local Choice industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Neighborhood Grocery and Pharmacy Retail
- NAICS
- Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611), Food and Beverage Retailers (445), Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110)
- SIC
- Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912), Retail-Convenience Stores (5412)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Discount Drugstores with Convenience Food & Beverage (Value C-Store Hybrid) (CRAEAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Small-Format Urban/Neighborhood Drugstores (CRAEAHAC), Traditional Grocery Stores (Small-Format/Corner Grocers) (CRAHAAAC)
Keywords
Where The Local Choice is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Johannesburg
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Markets served
The Local Choice business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
The Local Choice product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Local Choice is a community-focused South African neighborhood retailer that provides prescription medications, health products, and personalized health advice alongside essential groceries and household items. Customers access the company's offerings through a network of physical neighborhood stores as well as a mobile application available on Android and iOS, which delivers in-app promotions and digital convenience for everyday shopping.
Product overview
The Local Choice is a grocery retail company operating primarily through its website and mobile application. The company offers a mobile app available on Android and iOS platforms that provides customers with in-app promotions and digital access to the store's offerings. The product portfolio consists of a single mobile application integrated with the company's retail operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Local Choice Mobile App
Companies that use The Local Choice
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Local Choice technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Local Choice partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
Expansion highlights2 records
The Local Choice competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Link Pharmacy: Independent pharmacy network/franchise model operating community pharmacies across South Africa. Closely matches The Local Choice's neighborhood, community-focused positioning and franchise-style store economics.
- Alpha Pharm: South African pharmacy group with a network of independent community pharmacies. Overlaps with The Local Choice in prescription dispensing and neighborhood health-retail focus.
- Dis-Chem Pharmacies: Major national pharmacy chain offering prescription medications, health advice, and convenience/household goods. Comparable to The Local Choice on pharmacy-led retail with adjacent grocery and personal care ranges across South African communities.
- Medicare Pharmacy: Independent community pharmacy group serving local neighborhoods in South Africa with prescription and front-shop offerings. Comparable as a small-format neighborhood pharmacy retailer in overlapping geographies.
- Clicks Group: South Africa's largest pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer. Directly comparable to The Local Choice on prescription dispensing, OTC health products, and front-shop convenience/grocery SKUs, and serves as the dominant incumbent The Local Choice competes against in the same neighborhoods.
Emerging players
- Wellness Warehouse: South African health-focused retailer offering supplements, natural health products, and pharmacy-adjacent services. Comparable to the health-product and personalized-advice aspects of The Local Choice's proposition.
Regional players
- SPAR Group: Grocery retailer operating through independent retailer network across Southern Africa. Comparable to The Local Choice's neighborhood-store, locally-operated model with overlapping grocery/household product ranges.
Broad incumbents
- Pick n Pay: Major South African supermarket group with a national footprint, including in-store pharmacies at selected locations. Comparable on grocery and convenience baskets, with partial overlap on pharmacy services.
- Shoprite Holdings: Largest grocery retailer in Africa, with deep penetration across South African communities. Competes with The Local Choice on the convenience/grocery side of its offering even though it does not operate as a pharmacy.
- Woolworths Holdings: Premium South African food and clothing retailer with a growing focus on health and wellness. Overlaps with The Local Choice on quality grocery and health-adjacent assortment in higher-income neighborhoods.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Local Choice social profiles
Digital presenceThe Local Choice financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Local Choice leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Local Choice funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Local Choice 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 The Local Choice
What does The Local Choice do?
The Local Choice is a community-focused South African neighborhood retailer that provides prescription medications, health products, and personalized health advice alongside essential groceries and household items. Customers access the company's offerings through a network of physical neighborhood stores as well as a mobile application available on Android and iOS, which delivers in-app promotions and digital convenience for everyday shopping.
Is The Local Choice a public or private company?
The Local Choice is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was The Local Choice founded?
The Local Choice was founded in 2011. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is The Local Choice based?
The Local Choice is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Africa region.
Who are The Local Choice's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Link Pharmacy, Alpha Pharm, Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Medicare Pharmacy and Clicks Group. Wellness Warehouse is listed as an emerging player. SPAR Group is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Pick n Pay, Shoprite Holdings and Woolworths Holdings.
Does The Local Choice have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Local Choice.
What industry is The Local Choice in?
The Local Choice's product category is Neighborhood Grocery and Pharmacy Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAEAHAJ, Discount Drugstores with Convenience Food & Beverage (Value C-Store Hybrid), with a secondary code of CRAEAHAC, Small-Format Urban/Neighborhood Drugstores. Its NAICS code is 45611 and its SIC code is 5912.