‘30% to 40% Cheaper’: The Store Taking on Checkers and Pick n Pay With a Clever Twist

With major grocery stores constantly raising prices, one retailer is stepping in to offer South Africans a cheaper alternativeand it has big plans to expand.

Best Before Clearance Store was founded in 2017 by Mark Gordon and Alain Soriano, two entrepreneurs with over 60 years of combined retail experience.

From a pilot store in Wendywood, Sandton, Best Before has grown to eight retail locations, with its first store outside Johannesburg opening in October 2025.

The Model

Unlike traditional salvage outlets that sell damaged stock, Best Before focuses on short-dated and past-dated products that are still high-quality and safe.

The result: shoppers get big-name brands at a fraction of the cost.

Gordon saw an opportunity in a market he believes has become overpriced.

“I think the average South African consumer is under serious pressure. And a lot of that pressure is because of the grocery industry.”

The Secret

The Best Before team approached major food distributors that had either too much or short-dated stock.

Even if a product has months left before its best-before date, major grocers often refuse to buy itleaving distributors with perfectly fine goods they can’t sell.

“We were able to do something quite clever,” Gordon said. They gave these distributors another channel.

“That opened the door for us, and by allowing us to do that, we were then putting a product out that was between 20% and 30% cheaper than the market.”

In some cases, discounts reach up to 70% .

The Distinction

Gordon emphasises that Best Before is a clearance store, not a traditional grocery store.

Traditional grocers operate on a replenishment modelthey must keep the same products in stock at all times, which can force price increases.

Best Before, by contrast, won’t stock a product unless they can offer it at least 25-30% cheaper than the market.

The Evolution

As the business grew, Gordon realised they needed a more sustainable model.

Today, around 70% of Best Before’s products operate on a replenishment model and are available day in, day outbut negotiated at massive discounts.

The remaining 30% is still sourced from deals like short-dated or overrun stock.

The Comparison

Gordon says their product is “as good as any one of these brands in the stores, if not better,” and priced 30% to 40% cheaper.

He points to the pressures on big retailers: rising expenses, new store openings, and shareholder demands.

“They’re on this treadmill. We’re not in that world. We’re in a world that is very niche, and we fight very hard for our consumer.”

The Expansion

Best Before is being strategic about growth.

“We dropped the pebble in Gauteng, and we want to own Gauteng properly. And then from here we’ll start expanding out into the various areas.”

Current stores are in:

• Woodmead

• Edenvale

• Fourways

• Northcliff

• Krugersdorp

• Boksburg

• Atterbury

• Centurion

Gordon is bullish: “I think I can get to 30, 40 stores quite quickly.”

The Bottom Line

People have to eat. People are looking for deals.

Best Before has found a nicheand a modelthat works. And with plans to expand, South Africans across the country may soon have access to groceries that don’t break the bank.

{Source: DailyInvestor}

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