The state of SA retail

What’s happening in South African retail.

One page for the whole of South African commerce: what shoppers are spending, what it costs them, how the listed retailers are trading on the JSE, and what’s coming next. Updated from official releases and delayed market prices.

In short

  • Retail sales grew 3.4% year on year in July, according to Stats SA (released 16 Sept 2026).
  • Consumer inflation was 4.4% in August, up from 4.3%.
  • The repo rate is 7.25% after the Reserve Bank raised it by 25 basis points on 23 Sept 2026, putting prime at 10.75%.
  • Consumer confidence was -13 in the third quarter (up from -19).
  • Over the month to 30 Sept 2026, JSE-listed commerce shares (the equal-weighted Artive Commerce Index) fell 3.0%, while the JSE Top 40 fell 6.8%.

The numbers that matterThe shopper’s economy.

All the economic indicators →

On the JSEHow retail shares are trading.

56 JSE-listed commerce companies, from grocers to payments. Bigger tiles are bigger companies; colour is the move.

All of commerce +50.4%

On the shelf -3.39%

Fashion -8.35%

Payments -3.86%

Platforms -9.02%

Where we shop +542.7%

Grocers +2.85%

Moving goods -3.00%

Health & beauty +1.50%

Going out -3.05%

Home & build -8.62%

On the road -0.08%

Eating out -1.03%

ANHAB InBev-4.96%BTIBritish American Tobacco-1.50%TBS-10.5%PMR+2.82%AVI-4.65%OCE+0.43%ARL-4.20%RCL-13.4%SHGLBRQFHCFRRichemont-9.15%PPH-9.34%MRP-0.19%WHL-14.3%TRU-4.79%TFG-5.58%CPICapitec-5.75%MTNMTN-3.97%VODVodacom+1.06%TKG-5.13%BLU-13.5%LSK-6.72%PPE-4.19%PRXProsus-7.95%NPNNaspers-10.7%NRPNEPI Rockcastle-5.60%VKE+3.53%FFB+5.74%HYP+6.18%RES-1.76%LTE-0.12%FTB+1.45%ATT+7.93%EXP+9988.9%SHP+4.59%BOX+4.32%PIK+0.57%SPP+7.77%BIDBidcorp-2.67%KRO-3.46%SPG-3.63%CLS+5.81%DCP-4.78%SSU-2.05%SUI-9.83%TSG+2.66%CLHITE-11.8%LEW-4.22%CSBMTH+0.39%CMHFBR+0.33%SUR-2.67%

Tile size follows market value, softened so smaller companies stay readable; colour is the move. Delayed prices. Not advice.

Open the full heatmap →

Up most this month

  1. Exemplar REITailEXP+9988.9%
  2. AttacqATT+7.9%
  3. SPARSPP+7.8%
  4. HypropHYP+6.2%
  5. ClicksCLS+5.8%

Down most this month

  1. ChoppiesCHP-28.7%
  2. WoolworthsWHL-14.3%
  3. Blu LabelBLU-13.5%
  4. RCL FoodsRCL-13.4%
  5. ItaltileITE-11.8%

Coming upResults and releases ahead.

Wed, 30 Sept

  1. DividendMotus (MTH) goes ex-dividend
  1. DividendSuper Group (SPG) goes ex-dividend
  1. DividendBritish American Tobacco (BTI) goes ex-dividend
  1. DividendCity Lodge (CLH) goes ex-dividend
  1. 08:00EconomyPrivate Sector Credit YoY (Aug)How much households and businesses are borrowing.Previous 7.41%Forecast –Actual 7.47%
  1. 11:30EconomyPPI YoY (Aug)Factory-gate prices: tomorrow’s shelf prices and supplier margins.Previous 5.7%Forecast –Actual 5%
  1. ResultsCapitec (CPI) reports

Thu, 01 Oct

  1. 14:15EconomyTotal New Vehicle Sales (Sep)Big-ticket, credit-funded spending: dealers and vehicle finance.Previous 57.9Forecast –Actual –

Wed, 07 Oct

  1. DividendHyprop (HYP) goes ex-dividend
  1. DividendSea Harvest (SHG) goes ex-dividend
The full calendar →

In the newsSouth African retail news.

  1. TechCentral

    MTN Uganda and Huawei bring LinkHome to the MyMTN app

  2. Bizcommunity

    A diversified engine firing on all cylinders: Capitec headline earnings up 19%

  3. Bizcommunity

    Mscsports and Telkom’s ‘Possibility in Play’ takes home 2 New Gen Awards

  4. BusinessTech

    Say goodbye to Capitec as you know it

  5. Moneyweb

    Capitec profit, dividend hit record as clients top 26.6m

  6. TechCentral

    Capitec’s non-bank bet is paying off, big time

  7. BusinessTech

    Top South African exec calls for targeted United States sanctions on politicians, and MTN in hot water

  8. Moneyweb

    Spur takes aim at Famous Brands with new Doppio formats
All retail and commerce news →

Every aisleCommerce, segment by segment.

QuestionsGood to know.

  • We follow 56: grocers (Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Boxer, SPAR, Choppies), food, drink and household brands (Tiger Brands, AVI, RCL Foods, Premier, Libstar, Astral, Quantum Foods, Oceana, Sea Harvest, AB InBev, British American Tobacco), restaurant groups (Famous Brands, Spur), hotels and casinos (Sun International, Tsogo Sun, Southern Sun, City Lodge), fashion and luxury (Mr Price, TFG, Pepkor, Woolworths, Truworths, Richemont), platforms (Naspers, Prosus), pharmacies (Clicks, Dis-Chem), home and building retailers (Cashbuild, Italtile, Lewis), car dealers (Motus, CMH), shopping-centre landlords (Hyprop, Resilient, Vukile, Fortress, Fairvest, Exemplar, Attacq, NEPI Rockcastle, Lighthouse), logistics and foodservice (Super Group, Karooooo, Bidcorp) and payments, fintech and telecoms (Capitec, Lesaka, MTN, Vodacom, Telkom, Blu Label, Purple Group).

  • Statistics South Africa publishes retail trade sales every month, roughly six to seven weeks after the month ends. The next release date is shown on this page and in our economic calendar.

  • Mostly what households have left to spend. Interest rates set the cost of credit, inflation squeezes the basket, jobs and confidence decide whether people buy wants or only needs, and the rand sets the price of imported stock. Each company’s own results then show who is winning share.

  • No. Artive Capital is the Artive group’s own trading and investment desk. We don’t raise outside capital; we only trade and invest Artive’s own, and have no clients. This page is information about the market, not a recommendation to buy or sell anything.

Artive Capital doesn’t raise outside capital; it only trades and invests Artive’s own, and has no clients. This is a screen we use to decide where to look, not a recommendation to buy or sell anything. Prices are delayed and third-party data can be wrong; check with your broker before you act.

We don’t take outside money, but we always like talking markets and commerce.

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