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Dis-Chem’s Better Rewards surge brings 550,000 new shoppers through Capitec boost
Dis-Chem’s Capitec boost pulls in 550,000 new shoppers
If you have swiped your Capitec card at Dis-Chem recently and noticed your till slip looking a little friendlier, you are not alone.
South Africa’s second-biggest pharmacy retailer has just revealed that its revamped loyalty programme, Better Rewards, has delivered a serious bump in both customer numbers and revenue. And at the centre of it is a strategic partnership with Capitec that is clearly paying off.
In the 24 weeks leading up to 16 February 2026, Dis-Chem reported group revenue growth of 10.1%. The standout factor? The launch of Better Rewards on 21 October 2025.
How the Capitec boost works
The hook is simple but powerful. Dis-Chem’s base discount under Better Rewards is 10% on qualifying brands. Capitec customers receive an additional 5% off, bringing the instant saving to 15%.
In a country where the cost of healthcare, baby essentials, and chronic medication continues to climb, a guaranteed 15% discount has become more than just a perk. It is a drawcard.
Chief executive Rui Morias described the period as a solid trading performance, driven largely by the reimagined loyalty programme. He pointed to the use of technology, data, and customer insights as key tools in refining and expanding the offering.
The aim, according to Morias, is not just higher sales but higher value. By increasing average discount levels through what the group calls boost penetration and by finding new funding channels, Dis-Chem wants to position itself as the most representative healthcare retail option in South Africa.
R410 million back in customers’ pockets
The numbers tell their own story. In just the first 17 weeks of the Better Rewards launch, customers saved R410 million.
Retail revenue for the full 24-week period rose by 9.5% compared to the same period the year before, with volume growth of 5%. Under the 17-week Better Rewards window, retail revenue climbed by 10.4% and volumes by 5.2%.
Pharmacy revenue saw an even sharper rise of 13.7%, helped by strong engagement with the pharmacy boost and sustained demand for GLP-1 medications.
Participating Better Rewards brands recorded revenue growth of 19.4%, with volumes up 20.9%. Even brands that are not directly part of the programme have benefited from what the group calls a halo effect, as more shoppers make regular trips to stores.
The impact is also visible in market share. Dis-Chem gained 0.8 percentage points during the period.
Most striking of all is the influx of new faces. Since the launch of Better Rewards, 550,000 shoppers who had not engaged with the brand in the previous 12 months have returned or joined for the first time.
More than just retail shelves
Dis-Chem operates 355 retail stores across South Africa, including 313 Dis-Chem Pharmacy outlets and 42 Dis-Chem Baby City stores. But the growth story is not limited to in-store shopping.
Wholesale revenue increased by 15.7% over the same period. Sales to Dis-Chem’s own retail stores rose 16.2%, while revenue from external customers grew 13.7%.
The Local Choice, the group’s franchise pharmacy network, recorded revenue growth of 14.2%. Independent pharmacy revenue was up 13.4%. The TLC network itself has expanded to 281 franchise stores, up from 230 a year earlier.
Why loyalty matters now
South Africans have become highly responsive to rewards programmes. From grocery points to banking cashbacks, consumers are actively chasing value. In that context, Dis-Chem’s Capitec partnership taps into an existing behaviour rather than trying to create a new one.
What makes this shift interesting is the ecosystem approach. Dis-Chem is no longer just a pharmacy chain. It is positioning itself as part of a broader healthcare and financial services network, where banking data and retail behaviour intersect.
For shoppers, the equation is straightforward. Bigger discounts mean more frequent visits. For Dis-Chem, the result is higher volumes and a stronger market share.
With R410 million already saved by customers in just a few months, the partnership suggests that in 2026, loyalty is not about points gathering dust in an app. It is about instant savings that show up immediately at the till.
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Source: Business Tech
Featured Image: Best of South Africa
