Welcome to this edition of INSIGHTS, a newsletter by Reveal.

In this week’s edition:

Truworths has been part of South Africa’s retail fabric for nearly a century. 

Founded in 1935, it’s grown into one of the country’s most established fashion retailers. Eight decades later, global powerhouse H&M entered the market, opening its first local store in 2015. Today, H&M has more than 30 stores across South Africa.

So how does the global giant stack up against this local icon?

Our data shows that Truworths attracts 7–8 times more customers than H&M. Unsurprising, given its much larger footprint of 800+ stores across its brands compared to H&M’s 30+.

Truworths also leads in spend... but for how long? 

We dive into Reveals' performance index graphs designed to show ‘Overperformance’ -  an index of a brand’s age-group share baselined against the market.*  

Our data from August 2024 to July 2025 shows that while Truworths has performed significantly better, their customers are 35 and older (an aging population), while H&M captures the 18–35 age group. 

This supports the adage that buying power increases with age, and this split in demographics reveals two distinct strategies: Truworths’ mature, loyal customer base versus H&M’s younger, trend-focused audience (as many as 40% of Gen Z shoppers report buying new products based on trends).

While Truworths’ numbers remain strong, what’s striking is H&M’s sharp rise in average monthly spend per customer year-on-year, outpacing Truworths’ growth by a wide margin.

Despite Truworths' current spend being powered by a mature customer base, there's growing evidence that younger shoppers possess a rising share of buying power. In this highly competitive market, Truworths might consider a strategy to capture some of H&M's youth momentum.

But this traditional retail rivalry may already be beside the point.

Shein and other digital fashion players are eroding loyalty among 18–25-year-olds at an alarming rate, with Shein particularly over-performing in this segment. Despite the recent change to the de minimis rule - which many expected would slow Shein's growth - our data shows the brand has barely faltered.

The real question isn't whether H&M and Truworths can compete with each other, but whether either can mount an effective response to a youth market that's rapidly being redefined by ultra-fast fashion giants operating on an entirely different business model.

So the key question isn’t whether H&M and Truworths compete with each other, but rather how they’ll each respond to a youth market that’s rapidly being redefined by new digital fashion players.

*Results reflect our panel coverage 800k+ customers and 250m transactions, and are not adjusted for income or geography unless stated.

Boxer is powering ahead with its expansion, opening 25 new stores in the first half of 2025 and planning another 35 before year-end. The retailer’s turnover rose 13.9% to R22.5 billion, driven by steady volume growth and its new Boxer Rewards Club.

Woolworths is expanding its beauty range to Kenya, adding brands like Fenty Beauty, Chanel, and Estée Lauder to its Nairobi stores. After doubling local beauty sales to over R1 billion, the retailer is betting on Africa’s trendsetting markets to drive its next growth wave.

Dis-Chem’s Better Rewards program goes live on 21 October, offering instant 10% discounts across 10,000 products, plus an additional 15% when you pay with a Capitec card. Members with existing Dis-Chem Health or Life policies can earn up to 100% off on select brands.

Reveal is transforming how businesses understand and act on consumer behaviour through powerful, transaction-based insights.

By analysing billions of rands in real-world spend data from over 350,000 South Africans, Reveal uncovers the patterns, shifts, and opportunities that traditional research often misses. 

Our intuitive dashboards and custom analytics empower retailers, brands, and agencies to make faster, data-driven decisions. Whether it’s 

✅ spotting category winners, 

✅ identifying high-value customers, or 

✅ tracking real-time market changes. 

For anyone needing a sharper lens on how South Africans actually shop, Reveal is the edge.

Keen to learn more? Book a meeting with data consultants.