SOUTH AFRICAN INDEX
THE PEOPLE SHAPING SOUTH AFRICA
Menu
Retail · Big-box retail and wholesale

Makro South Africa

South African big-box warehouse format that supplied Massmart’s six-store founding base and remains one of the group’s trading brands.

Published · Last reviewed

Makro is a Massmart big-box format serving retail, commercial and wholesale customers. Six Makro stores formed Massmart’s founding base. [1][2]

History

Massmart’s annual report identifies Makro as the founding entity in 1990. It describes a no-frills, high-volume and low-margin warehouse model. [1]

Makro remains a Massmart brand in 2026. The group website lists food, liquor and general merchandise among its categories. [2]

Frequently asked questions

What is Makro’s relationship to Massmart?

Makro was Massmart’s six-store founding entity and remains a group trading format. [1][2]

Does Makro serve only wholesale customers?

No. Massmart describes Makro as serving retail, commercial and wholesale customers. [2]

Key milestones

  1. Six Makro stores formed Massmart’s founding entity. [1]

  2. Massmart continued to list Makro as a current group format. [2]

Company builders

  • Mark Lamberti — South African company builder who led Makro and founded Massmart before serving as its non-executive chairman.

Related articles

Related institutions

  • Massmart — South African retail and wholesale group built from Makro, listed in 2000 and fully acquired by Walmart through a 2022 scheme.
  • Game South Africa — Discount retail chain acquired by Massmart in 1998 and retained as a trading format within the Walmart-owned group.
  • Walmart — United States retail group that entered South Africa through a 51% Massmart acquisition in 2011 and completed full ownership in 2022.

Sources

  1. Massmart Holdings, Annual Report 2008, 2008-10-01. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-23. ↩
  2. Massmart, Company news and information. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-23. ↩