President Hyper: The 61-Year-Old South African Retail Challenger Taking on Supermarket Giants
While most South African shoppers flock to household names like Pick n Pay and Checkers, a lesser-known retail veteran has been quietly operating since the 1960s, claiming the title of South Africa’s cheapest hypermarket. President Hyper, with just four strategic locations nationwide, represents one of the country’s oldest retail stories—one that many consumers have never encountered.
From Humble Beginnings to Retail Resilience
The President Hyper story begins with George Synodinos, a Greek immigrant who arrived in South Africa during the 1950s. His entrepreneurial journey started with a Drive-In Café in Carltonville, but geological misfortune forced relocation when sinkholes threatened his business. This setback became the catalyst for what would become a retail institution.
Synodinos moved to Fochville in southwestern Gauteng, where he established the retail operation that would evolve into President Hyper. The original store on President Street measured a modest 360 square meters—a far cry from today’s massive hypermarkets. Through strategic business decisions and sheer determination, Synodinos managed to outmaneuver competition from retail giant OK Bazaars.
Strategic Growth and Community Roots
In 1986, the brand expanded significantly when Synodinos acquired the very Church Street premises previously occupied by OK Bazaars. This move not only symbolized a victory over larger competitors but enabled the chain’s expansion to additional locations. Throughout this growth, the Synodinos family became known for their charitable work within the communities they served.
In an unexpected turn of events, the family sold the President Hyper trademark to Shoprite—South Africa’s largest retailer and owner of Checkers and OK—in 2021. Today, OK franchises the President Hyper brand, while individual stores continue operating independently under family leadership.
George Synodinos retired in 2022 and returned to Athens, Greece, passing away earlier this year at 94. His legacy continues through his son Basil, who serves as CEO, maintaining the family’s strong connection to the brand they built from the ground up.
Massive Expansion Amidst Changing Retail Landscape
Despite operating for nearly six decades, President Hyper has undergone significant transformations in recent years. The Rustenburg location, spanning an impressive 10,000 square meters, opened in May 2025 on the aptly named President Boulevard, signaling the brand’s ambitious growth strategy.
What makes President Hyper’s positioning unique is its role as anchor tenant for President Square shopping centres across South Africa. The Vanderbijlpark location, situated within the President Square Vaal Shopping Centre, recently underwent extensive refurbishment and officially reopened on October 30, 2025.
“This relaunch marks an important milestone for the centre as we continue to grow with our community, creating a vibrant shopping experience that brings people together,” said Selwyn Bentel of the Bentel Group, which owns the shopping centre through Vaal Square (Pty) Ltd.
Redefining the Shopping Experience
The revitalized Vanderbijlpark centre now features a massive 13,800 square meter President Hyper alongside 32 new stores, including fashion retailers, banks, food outlets, health and beauty services, and home furnishings and appliance stores.
“Our unique anchor tenant and a range of exclusive new brands truly set us apart in the area,” added Bentel. “In addition, there is free Wi-Fi to keep visitors connected while they shop or dine.”
The Bentel Group acknowledged President Hyper as a “renowned high-performance trader” and accelerated construction to minimize business disruption. Key improvements included redesigned entrance façades to create visual harmony throughout the mall and relocation of the taxi rank closer to stores for enhanced customer convenience.
While President Hyper may not measure itself against competitors, focusing instead on customer expectations since 1964, its expansion and strategic positioning suggest this retail veteran is poised to challenge South Africa’s supermarket establishment in ways that would make its founder proud.
Source: Original reporting based on company information and historical records.