Woolworths Holdings is revamping its stores to focus on customer experiences and services, including beauty treatments, tailoring, and expanded food counters. The new store format, first introduced at the Tygervalley store in Cape Town, combines food, fashion, beauty, and home products under one roof. Complimentary services such as tailoring, bra measuring, and denim lasering are being offered to enhance the shopping experience.
The revamped stores will feature specialist food counters, including a "What's Cooking" bar where customers can sample products and get recipe inspiration. The bakery section will offer a wider selection of artisanal breads and pastries baked fresh daily. The butchery, specialty cheese, and fishmonger counters will be upgraded with product selections informed by on-site experts.
The Global Pantry section will be reorganized around international cuisines, including Italian and Mexican. The first Gauteng Food Emporium at Dainfern Square will take this concept further, with an expanded bakery offering freshly baked artisanal breads and pastries, as well as dedicated fishmonger and butcher counters staffed by knowledgeable employees.
Woolworths' Beauty division has been reworked to include beauty treatments and complimentary hair and skin analysis consultations with personalized product recommendations. Sustainability is also a priority, with the Tygervalley branch designed with sustainability considerations and featuring responsibly sourced timber and locally produced boards.
The new store format is part of Woolworths' broader strategy to evolve its store formats around changing customer needs and focus on customer experience. The retailer spent R2.4 billion on capital expenditure in its 2026 financial year, with growth projects forming a major part of that investment.
Woolworths has identified accelerated next-generation store openings among its investment opportunities. The company continues to expand its Food and Beauty businesses, with Food turnover and concession sales increasing by 5.7% in the year to June 2026, while Beauty sales increased by 7.9%.
Online sales accounted for 7.3% of South African Food sales. The new store format comes as Woolworths faces increased competition from rivals such as Checkers in the premium grocery market. The retailer aims to roll out the new concept further, with the Tygervalley store being the first full-line expression of the next-generation format.
Key points
- Woolworths is revamping its stores to focus on customer experiences and services.
- The new store format combines food, fashion, beauty, and home products under one roof.
- Sustainability is a priority, with the Tygervalley branch featuring responsibly sourced timber and locally produced boards.
