Food Lover's Market

The company was established in 1993 as a single Fruit & Veg City store in Access Park, a factory outlet complex in the Kenilworth suburb of Cape Town.[1] The outlet was converted from an existing business - The Carrot King - into a Fruit & Veg City store.[6]

Food Lover's Market was founded by brothers Brian and Mike Coppin, whose father had a history of working in the South African retail industry, having been the Director of OK Bazaars,[6] a retail chain that was acquired by the Shoprite Group in 1997.[7]

When it opened, the company sourced its products directly from farmers and municipal markets, and priced them aggressively, in order to grow in the market whilst competing with existing large retail chains.[6]

In 1995, the brothers were approached by someone wanting to operate a store in Port Elizabeth, and the first franchise store opened. Franchises in East London, Durban, Bloemfontein, and Pretoria followed.[6] The company opened its first store in Johannesburg in 1999.[6]

In 2012, Food Lover's Market expanded its offering to include non-food items, and announced that it would be converting all Fruit & Veg City outlets to its Food Lover's Market brand.[8]

In 2014, the company announced it would begin stocking items in a number of grocery categories from British retailer Waitrose, stating that the core values of the two companies aligned.[8]

In 2015, Food Lover's Market received a R760 million investment from emerging market investor Actis, to further the retailer's growth across Southern Africa.[4] Food Lover's Market CEO Brian Coppin stated that the company was attracted to Actis' history of working with family-owned businesses.[4]

Aside from its Food Lover's Market stores, the company operates 24-hour convenience stores under the FreshStop brand at over 200 Caltex gas stations across South Africa.[5]

Food Lover's Market also sells liquor at Market Liquors stores next to select Food Lover's outlets,[5] and operates restaurants at Food Lover's Eatery locations.[9]

Food Lover's Market receives some of its products from South African company Dried Fruit for All, and supplies its stores through FVC International, a South African import and export company.[5]

South African coffee chain Seattle Coffee Company has outlets at Food Lover's Market and FreshStop stores across the country.[10]

Partnered since 2009, the company donates R50,000 worth of food, as well as surplus fruit and vegetables, to food redistribution organization FoodForward SA's beneficiaries.[11] Food Lover's Market donated over 165,000 kilograms of excess food as part of this partnership, during the 2017 financial year.[11]

Food Lover's Market has a partnership with South African bank ABSA, whereby ABSA customers can earn cash back by using their debit and credit cards at Food Lover's stores.[12]