Inside Massmart’s Secret Plan: How Makro Could Be Coming to Your Local Mall

A quiet retail shake-up is brewing in South Africa’s shopping malls and it could change how you shop for everything from groceries to gadgets.

For months, Massmart, the retail group behind Makro, Game, and Builders, has kept unusually silent about a bold plan that could reshape its footprint in the country. Behind the scenes, the company has been working on converting some of its mall-based Game stores into small-format Makro outlets, a move that could redefine how South Africans experience one of the country’s biggest retail brands.

A new kind of Makro

The idea first surfaced in April 2024, when Massmart revealed that four Game stores located in major malls would be transformed into compact Makro stores, about 3,000 square metres each. That’s a fraction of the size of traditional warehouse-style Makros, but with one key advantage: accessibility.

“The goal,” said Massmart’s corporate affairs head, Brian Leroni, at the time, “is to make Makro stores more accessible to a wider market through a mall-based format.”

Early focus groups reportedly loved the idea, a Makro that feels less like a warehouse run and more like an everyday retail stop. But then, everything went quiet.

By late 2024, the project appeared to stall. No pilot store locations were revealed, and Massmart’s responses grew more vague. The company insisted the rollout was “progressing well,” but insiders and retail watchers began to suspect the plan had been shelved.

Enter Walmart and a twist

Then came the September 2025 announcement that changed the tone of the conversation entirely. Walmart, Massmart’s global parent company, confirmed it would be opening its first-ever branded stores in South Africa.

The move raised eyebrows. Would Walmart’s arrival mean the end of Makro or Game as we know them?

Apparently not. Massmart told reporters that Walmart will operate as a new banner under its existing business, not a replacement. Builders, Game, and Makro are all staying, at least for now.

That clarification didn’t quiet the speculation. Some retail analysts believe the Walmart rollout could be a strategic test, a way for Massmart to see which brand resonates most with local shoppers before deciding how to consolidate its retail empire.

“They’re testing brand recognition,” said Evan Walker from 36ONE Asset Management. “If the Walmart stores perform well, Massmart might eventually bring everything under the Walmart name.”

What this means for South African shoppers

The arrival of small-format Makros could be a game-changer (pun intended) for shoppers who’ve long associated Makro with massive, warehouse-style stores on city outskirts.

A Makro in your local mall would mean wholesale pricing and bulk-buying convenience in the same place you grab coffee or run errands. It’s also an opportunity for Massmart to recapture customers who’ve drifted toward competing chains like Checkers Hyper and Pick n Pay.

Still, retail experts warn that success will depend on one thing: price.

“South Africans are bargain hunters,” said Johannesburg-based attorney Babitha Ramnarain. “If Walmart and Makro can deliver true value, they’ll pull in customers fast. But if prices don’t reflect the brand’s low-cost reputation, shoppers will simply walk.”

A quiet revolution in progress

While Massmart has yet to name which Game stores are being converted, the strategy fits a broader global shift toward smaller, urban-friendly retail formats. Walmart has used similar models in markets like Mexico and China, adapting its big-box DNA to fit city lifestyles.

And in a South African economy where every rand counts, smaller Makros, stocked with locally sourced goods and powered by Walmart’s global logistics muscle, could find an eager audience.

For now, though, Massmart is keeping its cards close to its chest. The conversions haven’t been confirmed, the pilot locations are still under wraps, and the company remains coy about timelines.

But one thing is certain: something big or rather, small is coming to South Africa’s malls.

{Source: My Broad Band}

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