Nothing demonstrates consumers' appetite for bargains as well as Toblerone bars flying off the shelves at half price. For three consecutive months, this sweet treat was the best seller in the Best Before stores in Johannesburg, with 8 000 bars sold per month in the group's six stores.
"It's because we make the unaffordable affordable," says Alain Soriano, managing director, who opened the first of these stores in 2017 with his business partner, Mark Gordon.
All products in these stores are on average between 20% and 50% cheaper than in supermarkets. The two businessmen can offer these discounts because they only purchase products if they can get them at a very good price.
The secret? They buy products that supermarkets don't want because the "Best Before" date is only a few months away.
Soriano explains that it is completely legal to sell products like pasta, sauces, chips, chocolate, and cookies even after the Best Before (BB) date. BB is exactly that. It is a date that the manufacturer puts on products as an indication of quality and has nothing to do with food safety. After the date, the product's texture or color may change slightly, but it is still safe to eat - even years after that date.
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The StillTasty website, for example, says that commercially packaged dry pasta can easily be used for another year or two after the BB date. For chickpeas, it is recommended to use them between 3 to 5 years.
In America, Harvard Law School and the Natural Resource Defense Council found in a study that thousands of kilograms of food are wasted annually due to the misconception that BB dates indicate food safety.
Soriano says the confusion comes with "Use Before" dates, which are placed on fresh and perishable products to ensure safe consumption.
He explains that they are a clearance store and not a supermarket.
Soriano said:
"We are the solution for consumers who feel financial pressure, and for suppliers who want to get their products on shelves and need cash. We also have smaller suppliers who cannot supply the large quantities at once that big chain stores require.
Many of these chain stores only buy what still has six months to the BB date. A supplier who, for example, has two months before the BB date typically turns to Best Before.
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But the stores also stock new products for which they have negotiated good prices with suppliers. There are many products with a "Best Before" date in a few months, but approximately 65% of the products in the stores are new products with a BB date of 2027.
Soriano says:
Who wouldn't want to save R3 on a can of tomatoes? And if you're looking for spaghetti, there's a choice of a 500g pack for R13 or R24, depending on your taste.
So far this year, 3 million items have been sold, or 62 500 per month. During this time, there were fewer than 50 items that consumers returned and for which they were fully compensated, says Gordon.
The average basket costs about R380, says Gordon. The end-of-month weekend is their busiest time, followed by Mondays, which is pensioners' day with an additional 10% discount. Chocolate, soft drinks, and canned food are very popular. Best Before is also the clearance store for Beyers and Lindt chocolate.
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At the moment, they have a Peppadew product range on their shelves that was packaged for the American market, but the order was canceled at the last minute, and the supplier needs to find another buyer for his products.
Because it's about good bargains that they then pass on to the consumer, more and more suppliers are approaching them.
This also means that there are regularly new products in Best Before stores, and you can find anything from tissues and toilet paper to cleaning products and various food products. They do not stock any perishable products.
The normal supermarket price is also given on each product so that consumers can make a comparison. Soriano says big brands like Pepsi, Serena pasta, and Avroy Shlain skincare products would not be sold in Best Before if it was harmful to their brands.
The concept started as an idea to combat food waste, but it quickly became clear that consumers are under so much financial pressure that they are sniffing out bargains.
In overseas countries, stores like Waitrose and Tesco have special sections in their stores with products close to the BB date.
Soriano opened the first store in 2017 in a retail space in Wendywood that had been vacant for three years. He agreed with the landlord to test it for six months without rent, but he paid his own electricity.
Six months was all it took to see how well the concept had taken hold. There are now six stores in the Johannesburg area, and in November, the first one will open in Pretoria.
There are large notices at the entrance of each store explaining what Best Before sells and does.
They have 100 000 followers on Facebook, people can order online, and the stores even have a loyalty card.
Food Waste
According to the World Wildlife Fund, 10 million tons of food are lost in South Africa each year. This is one-third of what is produced and is mostly fruits, vegetables, and grains.
Sanjeev Raghubir, head of sustainability at the Shoprite group, says:
Forty nine percent of the wasted food is lost during processing and manufacturing. Only 6% of the losses occur in the wholesale/retail and distribution environment. Shoprite uses, among other things, artificial intelligence to predict sales in specific categories.
Efficient systems for optimal ordering and replenishment of stock are important to prevent opportunities for waste.
"By optimising the product range in our delis, food waste in this department has been reduced by 11%, for example."
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In the past financial year, the group distributed R226 million worth of surplus food through non-profit organisations, serving more than 67 million meals. The Shoprite group sends about 160 tons of waste food like pasta and flour per month to be processed into animal feed.
Pick n Pay says it works with various partners to limit food waste and distribute surplus food efficiently for use.
In the 2024 financial year, food waste at Pick n Pay decreased by more than 31%. The group also donated more than 900 tons of edible surplus food worth R40 million to FoodForward SA, which distributes it to 2 750 beneficiary organisations to provide meals to about 985 000 people per year.
