Over the past several years, South African franchises have grown in a wide variety of sectors due to technological advancements and the attitude that entrepreneurs have. The growth of franchising options in South Africa doesn’t only increase business opportunities but also the opportunities for entrepreneurs to align franchises with their interests.
Here is a list of 100% South African franchises that aspiring entrepreneurs can look into.
Beauty Franchises
Sorbet – A nationwide beauty therapy hub with over 200 stores countrywide. From manicures to pedicures, skincare and body massages, they’re here to serve up a double scoop of “amazing” all week long.
Candi & Co – South Africa’s first ethnic hair salon that delivers world-class hair-care services and products that are accessible, affordable and authentically beautiful. They understand the woman who has been through it all: the pulling, the breaking, the burning, the schlepping.
Placecol – The brand is proudly part of the Imbalie Beauty group. Their vision is to be the leading and most desirable beauty and wellness group. Placecol actively works to achieve its mission, which is to make a positive change in the world through improvement and empowerment, and by increasing self-esteem.
Automotive Franchises
Car Service City – A local South African franchise,, award-winning network of over 60 servicing and repairs workshops for all makes of cars and bakkies. At the heart of Car Service City’s philosophy and business success is its commitment to offering customers the best quality service through conveniently located workshops, at affordable prices and in the most customer-pleasing way.
Midas – A flagship franchise of the family, is a retail store designed around the needs of any vehicle owner, focusing on various product ranges, from motor parts and accessories through to lifestyle equipment. There are over 300 franchised outlets in Southern Africa, including Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The mechanism of distribution to owner-managed retail stores continues to be the most successful and efficient.
Hi-Q – The embodiment of service innovation and exhilarating offers on leading brands. Being repeatedly voted the Number 1 Tyre Retail Outlet in South Africa proves that Hi-Q has a trusted formula that works.
Food and Drink Franchises
Chesanyama – Chesanyama is a franchise enterprise which brings the local butcher to your doorstep. Serving you the best matured A-grade meats, flamed-grilled in their open-plan kitchen, escorted by their secret traditional pap and sauce or freshly-cut chips.
Nando’s – The story of Nando’s starts hundreds of years ago with the first Portuguese explorers who set sail for the East in search of the legendary spice route. And so they landed on our shores and discovered the African Bird’s Eye Chilli or as we know it, PERi-PERi. Today, many years later, you can find Nando’s restaurants, their delicious, addictive sauces and a world-famous grocery range around the globe.
Yami Rib and Burger – A place with a great vibe to socialise and have a delicious meal, and a local South African franchise, Yami offers the widest range of mouth-watering meals and great service with the most friendly, helpful staff who are passionate about serving others. Their focus is creating a restaurant experience that brings families and friends together, to ultimately make customers feel like they are a part of the Yami family.
Nkukhu Box – Nkukhu Box is a home of grilled chicken embracing Kasi “township” flavours and lifestyle. They bring quality food and flavours, originating from our own Kasi’s, inspired by our own stories and origin. They are a proud fast food brand born in an African township or “e’Kasi”, with an understanding of the township pallet and needs. Their brand aims to share their own local stories with the world.
Steers – Steers is one of South Africa’s most recognisable quick-service restaurant brands. The company is well known for serving flame-grilled burgers made from 100% pure beef and handmade chips. Other menu items include chicken burgers, ribs as well as ice cream and milkshakes.
Chicken Licken® – Chicken Licken is a South African fast-food fried chicken restaurant chain, Chicken Licken® is the second biggest fast-food brand in South Africa and is also the biggest non-American-owned fried chicken franchise in the world.
RocoMamas – Founded in July 2013, RocoMamas has fast become one of the trendiest restaurants in South Africa, garnering a loyal following of burger enthusiasts. Their brand position of “Not Normal” is evident in their funky décor, rock ‘n roll vibe, unique menu items and an open-style kitchen where customers can see (and smell) the meals being prepared. This new concept is a result of the growing appetite for hand-made food and a more personalised dining experience.
Hot Dog Café – Hot Dog Café was founded in 1998 and has been a South African favourite for over 14 years, exceeding expectations and providing only the freshest and tastiest products at value-for-money prices. They strive to complement the Hot Dog Café experience with excellence and a variety of convenient outlets to suit your every need. To complement the variety of convenient outlets with excellence and friendly and efficient service, topped off with an array of delicious menu offerings whether you are on the run or looking for a casual sit-down meal.
Education Franchises
MiniChess – The MiniChess program was developed over years of teaching chess to “entry phase” learners (5 to 9 years of age) as part of the school curriculum. It has already been used on a trial basis, with great success, at a number of schools in SA.
Richfield Graduate Institute Of Technology – Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology (Pty) Ltd, previously PC Training and Business College, commenced operations in 1998 in Tongaat as a Computer Training Centre. It established branches in various provinces and today has a national footprint of over 70 sites.
Retail Franchises
Food Lover’s Market – The next step in the evolution of Fruit & Veg City was to create a modern eatery where food aficionados could indulge in a range of gourmet foods. It was this vision that finally gave birth to the Food Lover’s Market, a theatre of food that was designed specifically with connoisseurs in mind. The Fruit & Veg City team crossed the globe in search of the hottest international trends in food. They visited the United States, Europe, Australia and the East, and then brought the best elements of what they saw there back with them. The result is the stylish and modern food emporium called the Food Lover’s Market.
Pick n Pay – Pick n Pay is the quintessential family store focused on the customer. Since 1967 when consumer champion Raymond Ackerman purchased the first few stores, the Ackerman family’s vision has grown and expanded to now encompass stores in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, Mauritius, Swaziland and Lesotho. Additionally, Pick n Pay owns a 49% share of a Zimbabwean supermarket business, TM Supermarkets. They offer customers focuses on groceries, clothing and general merchandise, but also include additional value-added services to cater for our customers’ expectations and evolving needs. To ensure a convenient and accessible shopping experience the Group operates across multiple store formats, both franchised and owned.
Spar – SPAR, originally DESPAR, is a Dutch multinational group that manages independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, and now consists of more than 12 770 stores in 48 countries.
