Walmart to open third store in South Africa in February 2026

SOUTH AFRICA – Walmart will open its third South African store at East Point Shopping Centre in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday, 28 February 2026, with trading hours set from 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sundays and public holidays.

The opening comes after successful launches at Clearwater Mall in November and Fourways Mall, where shoppers responded positively to Walmart’s pricing approach.

The Boksburg store is part of a larger expansion plan, with the US retailer intending to open 21 more locations across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape, replacing some existing Game-branded stores owned by Walmart’s South African subsidiary Massmart.

Store manager Hector Msane, a retail professional with 22 years of experience, will lead a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the launch, while the store occupies Shop L17 at the corner of Rietfontein and North Rand Road, Jansen Park.

Massmart has indicated that some Game store sites may close in the coming months as the company repurposes locations under the Walmart brand to establish a broader national footprint.

André Steyn, vice president of format acceleration at Massmart, said that independent price comparisons since the opening of Clearwater Mall confirm Walmart offers lower prices on a standard trolley of essentials including bread, milk, eggs, rice, sunflower oil, and sugar.

Consumer preferences at the existing stores show strong sales of roast chicken quarters, sirloin steaks, Dr Pepper soft drinks, and candy products such as Reese’s chocolate bars and Sour Patch Kids, prompting Walmart to expand its offerings of appliances like fridges, vacuum cleaners, and water dispensers.

Shoppers in Boksburg and surrounding areas can also use the Africa version of the Walmart shopping app, which now provides a 60-minute express delivery service within an 8km radius of the store, up from the previous 5km coverage.

The new store is expected to generate roughly 80 jobs and source some products from local suppliers, including Ekurhuleni-based Ultra Chem, which produces cleaning products under the Econo brand, such as bleach, dishwashing liquid, and pine gel.

In addition to commercial activities, Walmart plans to donate over 1.5 tonnes of non-perishable food items to FoodForward SA to support households in Ekurhuleni, continuing a practice seen with previous store openings.

The retailer, headquartered in Arkansas, maintains that its approach in South Africa combines everyday low prices with convenient in-store and online services to attract repeat customers and compete with other grocery and retail chains.

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