At a Glance
- Clicks opens 1,000th store as expansion supports wider access to pharmacy services.
- New-format stores boost convenience, sustainability features, private-label sales and repeat visits.
- ClubCard loyalty program reaches 12.8 million active users ahead of its 30th anniversary.
Clicks Group, South Africa’s largest health and beauty retailer, has opened its 1,000th store, underscoring its retail expansion across the region.
The milestone coincides with the 30th anniversary of its ClubCard loyalty program, which now counts 12.8 million active members.
Located in Bassonia’s Omni Square, the new store features a full-service pharmacy, eco-friendly fittings, and an expanded Beauty Hall.
Clicks’ growth strategy leverages rising pharmacy demand, digital touchpoints, and private-label offerings, reinforcing its position as South Africa’s leading health and beauty retailer.
Deepening access to healthcare through store expansion
The milestone comes after decades of steady growth since Clicks opened its first store in Cape Town in 1968. The group now operates more than 780 pharmacies across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho, with over half of South Africans living within 5km of a Clicks Pharmacy.
The Bassonia outlet reflects the company’s new format strategy: wider aisles, an expanded Beauty Hall, a full-service pharmacy, digital touchpoints, and a redesigned layout aimed at boosting convenience, basket size and repeat visits. Each new store creates about 20 in-store jobs and five support roles, reinforcing Clicks’ positioning as both a healthcare provider and a community-centric employer.
30 years of ClubCard power
Clicks’ expansion remains heavily supported by the strength of its ClubCard programme, which turns 30 years old in 2025 and now counts 12.8 million active members, making it South Africa’s most widely used retail loyalty scheme. ClubCard accounts for the majority of sales across the chain and has become a core lever for personalised promotions, private-label growth and recurring footfall.
Private-label lines continue to lift margins, while in-store services such as Health Elevation, vaccinations, and chronic medicine collection drive pharmacy-led earnings resilience.
The group’s distributor, UPD, has also ramped up sustainable logistics through electric delivery vehicles and energy-efficient pharma handling, improving compliance while reducing long-term operating costs.
Sustainability and investment appetite
The Bassonia store features energy-efficient lighting, eco-friendly fittings, biodegradable pharmacy bags and digital promotion screens, aligning with the group’s sustainability commitments. Many beauty and personal-care products sold in-store are cruelty-free or sustainably formulated, reflecting rising consumer pressure for ethical retailing.
Investor interest remains strong as Clicks continues to balance earnings growth with expansion. The retailer has sustained capital investment in refurbishments, new stores, technology upgrades and supply-chain optimisation, positioning the business for scale while maintaining stable pricing power in health and beauty categories.
Reinforcing market leadership
Under Engelbrecht’s leadership, Clicks has tightened its advantage over competitors by combining footprint growth, loyalty-data depth and strong private-label penetration.
The opening of its 1,000th store, coinciding with three decades of ClubCard, signals the group’s intent to accelerate expansion, deepen customer access to healthcare and sustain its position as South Africa’s most dominant health and beauty retailer through the remainder of 2025 and beyond.
