After close on three-decade absence, the Checkers brand has returned to Hyde Park Corner – and it hasn’t come quietly.

• The former Pick n Pay space has been transformed into a premium, modern supermarket experience.
• With a blend of ambition, design, and retail strategy, Checkers is looking to reinvigorate the grocery shopping experience in Hyde Park Corner.
• The new store features in-store brands like Kauai, Krispy Kreme, and a boutique wine cellar.
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The retailer has made a thunderous comeback, transforming the former Pick n Pay and adjacent health store space into a flagship FreshX supermarket that’s big on design, bold on ambition, and brimming with confidence. The official opening on 31 July 2025 marked a significant retail moment for the centre, with Checkers positioning itself as the anchor tenant to beat.

The new Checkers FreshX at Hyde Park is not just a store – it’s a full-scale sensory experience. Offering a carefully curated selection of premium fresh food and everyday essentials, it’s a feast for both the practical and the refined.

This is Checkers store number 348. We’ve returned to Hyde Park not just to trade – but to thrive. Where others have given up, we’re here to make a profit, make a difference, and please our customers.

// Checkers Chief Operating Officer, Willem Hunlun

It’s a gutsy statement – and one that sets the tone for what this FreshX is all about. Checkers isn’t just restating its presence in Hyde Park; it’s looking to redefine the rules of the game.

Checkers Hyde Park offers an elevated take on the supermarket format, marrying everyday essentials with specialty experiences. From a dedicated Kauai and Krispy Kreme to a restaurant-quality Meat Market, artisan bakery, and authentic wine cellar, the store caters to every need with polish and personality.

Health-conscious customers can explore a full wellness section, while foodies can delight in the hot and cold deli, and produce lovers will be impressed by the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. A Money Market counter completes the offering, ensuring shoppers can also handle services and payments while doing their weekly run.

Proving that the brand is thinking far beyond groceries, Checkers also introduced a standalone Petshop Science outlet at Hyde Park Corner. This pet wonderland is stocked with premium local and international brands including Montego, Royal Canine, Ultra Dog, Rogz, Nandoe, and Small Batches. With 147 pet stores nationwide and counting, Checkers is determined to lead in this growing category – and, as Willem Hunlun quipped, ‘soon we’ll be bigger than the competitors who bought their way into the pet market’.

The tone of the opening event was anything but reserved. Willem Hunlun spoke candidly about competitors, past missteps, and the future of Checkers – referencing everything from pet ownership to fashion retail, with reference to the brand’s boutique-style clothing venture, UNIQ, which now counts 32 outlets.

We don’t want to be a normal fashion store. That’s our diamond, and it’s not for every mall. We’re building brands with purpose.

// Checkers Chief Operating Officer, Willem Hunlun

And build they have. Medirite Plus, a pharmacy alternative to market leaders, is quietly expanding with 20 locations already open. Add to that Checkers Outdoor, a gifting and lifestyle concept focused on quality, curated products – from items like the Weber Braai or Big Green Egg to more accessible seasonal gifts – and the retailer’s strategy becomes clear: own every moment in the modern South African lifestyle.

We’re not scared. Every Checkers store is better than the last. We are humble, but we’re always getting better and better.

// Checkers Chief Operating Officer, Willem Hunlun

For, owners of Hyde Park Corner, the return of Checkers is more than a tenancy – it’s a statement of renewal.

This is an excellent store, and I believe it will be a great success for us in the future. We needed a strong anchor in Hyde Park Corner, and I think together we can make something fantastic out of this branch.

// Hyprop Chief Executive Officer, Morné Wilken

Hyde Park Corner is a complex environment to operate in, given its high-end audience and discerning shopper profile. Whether Checkers will outperform past players remains to be seen, but early signs suggest the retailer is entering the arena with both swagger and substance.

Store Details
• Checkers FreshX Hyde Park Corner trades daily from 8am to 8pm.
• Petshop Science Hyde Park operates Monday to Friday 8am – 7pm, and 8am –6pm on weekends.

In true Checkers style, the new store isn’t just about what’s on the shelves. It’s about culture, community, and the constant pursuit of being – not the best – but better. Because, as Willem Hunlun put it: ‘The day you say you’re the best, you no longer work for this brand’.

With a fierce commitment to customers, a growing list of sub-brands, and an eye firmly on innovation, Checkers Hyde Park Corner might just be the boldest comeback in years.

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