Checkers, Sixty60 and Pingo: From Stores to Delivery

A supermarket brand became part of a delivery system

Checkers joined the Shoprite group in 1991 as an established chain of 169 stores. Sixty60 launched much later, in November 2019. Pingo then supplied the delivery capability that linked online orders to customers. ^[1][3][8]

These names describe different parts of one operating system. Checkers is a retail brand, Sixty60 is the digital ordering platform and Pingo Delivery is a logistics company. Shoprite Checkers is a separate legal-company name within the group. ^[8][6]

The history connects acquired physical scale with a later digital service. It also shows why an app, a supermarket banner and a subsidiary should not share an invented founding date. Each has a different place in the business. ^[1][3][6]

The 1991 acquisition changed the physical network

The modern Shoprite group began with an eight-store acquisition in 1979. Whitey Basson led the group from that period until his retirement as chief executive in 2016. Checkers arrived during his company-building tenure, not as a new chain he created. ^[1][2]

The 2004 annual report records the scale of the Checkers transaction. Its 169 stores increased the combined group to 241 outlets and 22,600 staff. These are 1991 transaction-era figures, not a current store count. ^[1]

The transaction expanded the group through an established store network. Its scale came from existing shops and staff. It was a different growth method from developing a delivery application decades later. ^[1]

Shoprite’s retirement announcement credited Basson and an experienced management team with the group’s growth over 37 years. That account supports a company-builder description. It does not make him the original founder of every acquired retail brand. ^[2]

Sixty60 launched before the pandemic

Shoprite’s 2020 results date Sixty60’s eight-store test launch to November 2019. The service therefore preceded South Africa’s pandemic restrictions. The report describes rapid expansion during the pandemic, reaching 87 stores by 28 June 2020. ^[3]

A test launch and a national business are different stages. The early store count shows a limited operating base rather than an instant nationwide service. The subsequent expansion used more of the group’s existing retail footprint. ^[3][4]

The group’s 2020 report linked digital infrastructure with real-time oversight, centralised distribution and the store network. In that account, physical stores remained central to expansion into new channels. Online ordering did not remove the need for stock, premises or picking. ^[4]

This is a useful distinction in South African company history. Sixty60 was a new service within an established retailer. Its launch date should not replace the earlier history of Checkers or the listed group. ^[3][1]

Stores became fulfilment hubs

The 2024 integrated report described Checkers stores as small fulfilment hubs for online orders. Staff could pick goods from locations near customers. Pingo supplied the final delivery stage rather than replacing the supermarket’s retail function. ^[5]

The same report discussed dedicated fulfilment sites and larger delivery vans as the service developed. It also described improvements to picking and delivery areas. These were operational changes around the ordering platform, not simply a new name on an app. ^[5]

The Competition Tribunal’s 2024 account independently described the connection. Customers ordered groceries from Checkers through a smartphone application. Pingo’s delivery platform connected with Sixty60 to move those orders from collection points to customers. ^[8]

Pingo moved from a joint venture to full ownership

Before the later acquisition, the group held a 50% shareholding in Pingo. The 2025 financial statements explain that board and committee representation was equal between shareholders. Decisions about relevant activities and key management belonged within that governance structure. ^[6]

The report also identifies protective rights and restrictions on Pingo’s activities. These details matter because an equity percentage alone does not explain control. The group accounted for the investment as a joint venture before acquiring the remaining shares. ^[6][9]

The Competition Tribunal approved the merger without conditions on 15 October 2024 in case LM077Jul24. Its information notice followed on 16 October. The notice described full ownership and control as the outcome upon implementation. ^[7][8]

Approval was not, by itself, proof of completion. The group’s subsequent FY2025 results confirmed that it acquired the remaining 50% during that reporting period. Its presentation explicitly recorded ownership increasing to 100% and consolidation as a subsidiary. ^[10][9]

This account dates the completed ownership evidence to FY2025 rather than claiming a separately verified closing day. It also avoids assigning a distinct voting percentage. The control description comes from the transaction and accounting disclosures. ^[10][6]

Ownership also changed the accounting presentation

Shoprite said the Pingo acquisition made the group responsible for both selling and delivering merchandise. Delivery recoveries and subscription income then entered sale of merchandise. Associated delivery expenses entered cost of sales. ^[10]

The 2025 interim presentation contrasts this with the previous other-income and other-expense classification. It expressly says the change did not restate comparative figures. A reader comparing growth rates therefore needs to understand the reporting basis. ^[9]

The interim presentation quantified R312 million of delivery recoveries and subscription income within merchandise sales. That figure relates to the first half of FY2025. It is not Sixty60’s total annual sales or Pingo’s acquisition price. ^[9]

A classification change can affect more than the revenue headline. Moving delivery expense into cost of sales also changes where readers encounter those costs. The presentation supplies the bridge between the two reporting approaches. ^[9]

This was not a claim that all reported growth came from accounting. It was a disclosed change in which lines contained particular income and costs. Operating growth, ownership changes and classification effects require separate explanations. ^[9]

Read online sales within the group’s totals

For the 52 weeks ended 29 June 2025, Shoprite reported Sixty60 sales of R18.9 billion. The results placed those sales within Supermarkets RSA. This was a platform measure inside the retail business, not an additional standalone group total. ^[10]

The later results, published on 1 September 2026, reported R25.5 billion for the 52 weeks ended 28 June 2026. They again placed Sixty60 sales within Supermarkets RSA. These dated figures show the service’s scale without double-counting it. ^[11]

A historical store acquisition, a digital launch and a logistics takeover each added a different capability. Together, they explain more than a single-founder label. They connect the group’s physical network with its later delivery operations. ^[1][3][9]

Frequently asked questions

Did Shoprite create Checkers in 1991? No. It acquired an existing chain of 169 stores. The acquisition date is not assigned here as Checkers’ original founding date. ^[1]

Did Sixty60 begin during lockdown? No. The company dates its test launch to November 2019. Expansion accelerated during the pandemic in 2020. ^[3]

Is Pingo the same business as Sixty60? No. The Tribunal describes Sixty60 as the ordering platform and Pingo as the integrated delivery provider. ^[8]

Was merger approval the completion date? Not necessarily. The order records approval on 15 October 2024. Later company results establish the completed purchase of the remaining 50% during FY2025. ^[7][10]

Can Sixty60 sales be added again to Supermarkets RSA sales? No. The group explicitly includes the platform’s sales within that segment. Adding them again would double-count the same reported business. ^[11]

Does the photograph show the 1991 acquisition? No. Husskeyy photographed this Durbanville entrance on 5 May 2025. The image illustrates the retail brand, not the historical transaction. ^[12]