Woolworths Holdings reported an 18.3% year-on-year growth in online grocery sales for the year ending in June. This figure significantly lags behind the growth rate of Checkers Sixty60, which increased its sales by more than five times based on a much larger base.
Both retailers presented their reports for the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2026, with Shoprite publishing its results one day before Woolworths.
Group CEO Pieter Engelbrecht stated during the results presentation that Sixty60 sales grew by 34.7%, reaching R25.5 billion, representing an increase of R6.6 billion over one year. The total turnover of Woolworths' entire online food business amounted to R3.94 billion, up from R3.33 billion previously. Thus, in one year, Sixty60 added more sales than Woolworths' entire online food sector generates overall.
Currently, Sixty60 accounts for 11.1% of Shoprite's supermarket sales in South Africa. Woolworths' online channel contributes about 7% of the company's total turnover in South Africa across the food, fashion, beauty, and home goods segments. TechCentral previously detailed how Sixty60 managed to capture and maintain this leadership, including the decision to pick items from stores rather than using centralized warehouses.
It was noted that the food segment is the part of Woolworths' online business showing positive momentum; other areas of this business are not demonstrating such success. According to the group's annual financial report, online turnover in the fashion, beauty, and home goods segments was R881 million, lower than the R887 million recorded the previous year. This decrease occurred in absolute rand terms, even before accounting for inflation. Furthermore, Woolworths' results announcement only mentioned a slight decline in the contribution of online retail to fashion, beauty, and home goods sales in South Africa to 6.3%, without disclosing that the turnover in this segment had decreased in rand value.