Woolworths first opened their doors in 1931, in Cape Town, by Max Sonneberg. Within four years, they opened three more stores in Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Johannesburg. In 1994, they launched the Woolworths Store Card, providing more access to financial services and products. The well-known brand, Country Road, was founded in 1974 and acquired by Woolworths in 1997. Starting as a manufacturer of casual cotton shirts, they now stock a range of high-quality clothing and homeware. The high-end Trenery label launched in 2009, providing customers with classic styles. Woolworths acquired the Australian brands, Witchery and David Jones, in 2012 and 2014, respectively. Interestingly, David Jones is the oldest department store in the world that still trades under its original name.
Since 2007, the company has had a strong focus on sustainability, ethical sourcing, and social development. Today, Woolworths has more than 200 stores across South Africa, in cities such as Johannesburg, Randburg, Roodepoort, Centurion, Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town, and the store is affectionately referred to as ‘Woolies’ by their customers.
Woolworths falls under the Groceries category along with other stores such as 1UP Cash & Carry, Big Save, Bluff Meat Supply, Boxer, Cambridge Foods, Check Save, Check Star, Checkers, Devland and Diamond Discount Liquors. Their trading hours are from 9h00 to 19h00 (Monday to Saturday) and 9h00 to 19h00 on Sundays.
For more information or to view Woolworths specials, visit their website woolworths.co.za.