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Retail · Supermarket brand

Checkers

Retail brand acquired by the Shoprite group in 1991, later connected to Sixty60’s digital ordering and store-based fulfilment.

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Checkers entrance in Durbanville, Cape Town, with turquoise signage, shopping trolleys and parked cars.
A Checkers entrance in Durbanville, Cape Town, on 5 May 2025. File photograph, not a photograph of the 1991 acquisition. Resized and converted to WebP without cropping. Photo: Husskeyy / Wikimedia Commons · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP without cropping. Adaptation available under the same licence.

Checkers is a supermarket brand within the Shoprite group. This record covers the retail banner, not a separately listed company. Its acquisition by Shoprite in 1991 is a corporate milestone rather than an original founding date. [1][5]

History

Shoprite’s 2004 annual report records the acquisition of 169 Checkers stores in 1991. The combined group then had 241 outlets and 22,600 staff. Those figures describe the historical transaction, not the present network. [1]

The acquisition occurred during Whitey Basson’s leadership of the group. The company later credited him and his management team with its expansion over 37 years. His company-building role is distinct from founding the acquired chain. [2][1]

Stores and digital ordering

Sixty60’s test launch followed in November 2019. By 28 June 2020 it operated from 87 stores, compared with eight at the test launch. The digital service developed around a pre-existing retail operation. [3]

The 2024 report describes retail stores as fulfilment hubs, with Pingo supplying the final delivery capability. Checkers, the digital service and the logistics company therefore perform different functions within a connected system. [4]

Frequently asked questions

Was Checkers founded in 1991?

The verified event is Shoprite’s acquisition of an existing chain in 1991. This page does not assign that year as Checkers’ original founding date. [1]

Is Checkers the same record as Shoprite Checkers?

No. Checkers is the retail banner. Shoprite Checkers (Pty) Ltd is a legal trading subsidiary of the group. [5]

What connects Checkers with Sixty60?

The ordering platform connects customers with stores, while the delivery provider moves orders to customers. [6]

Key milestones

  1. Existing 169-store chain acquired by the Shoprite group. [1]

  2. Sixty60 test launch added a digital ordering channel. [3]

  3. Group report described stores as fulfilment hubs. [4]

Company builders

  • Whitey Basson — South African retailer who led Shoprite from its eight-store 1979 base and built it through organic expansion and acquisitions.

Related articles

Related institutions

  • Shoprite Holdings — Shoprite is a South African food-retail group whose modern growth story began when an eight-store chain was acquired in 1979. Whitey Basson led the business from that year and built it through organic growth and major acquisitions.
  • Checkers Sixty60 — Shoprite group on-demand digital commerce platform launched in November 2019, connecting retail orders, store fulfilment and delivery.
  • Shoprite Checkers — Main trading subsidiary of Shoprite Holdings and the acquiring company named in the 2024 Pingo Delivery merger proceedings.
  • Pingo Delivery — Last-mile logistics business integrated with Sixty60, moving from a joint venture to full Shoprite group ownership during FY2025.

Sources

  1. Shoprite Holdings, Annual Report 2004: Checkers acquisition and group expansion. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-20. ↩
  2. Shoprite Holdings, Interim results 2017: Whitey Basson’s retirement after 37 years, 2017-02-21. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-20. ↩
  3. Shoprite Holdings, Reviewed results 2020: November 2019 Sixty60 launch and 87 stores by June 2020, 2020-09-08. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-20. ↩
  4. Shoprite Holdings, Integrated Report 2024, page 35: stores as fulfilment hubs and Pingo logistics. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-20. ↩
  5. Shoprite Holdings, Annual Financial Statements 2025: joint-venture control judgement and subsidiary interests. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-20. ↩
  6. Competition Tribunal, Merger alert, 16 October 2024: Pingo transaction and the delivery platform, 2024-10-16. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-20. ↩