SPAR Liquor Special for This Week: The tops! at SPAR Leaflet, 623 Locations and a R100 Billion Market

Quick answer: SPAR's liquor brand is tops! at SPAR, launched in 2000, and a catalogue aggregator updated on 21 October 2026 lists its current leaflet as valid from 19 October to 8 November 2026 across 623 locations, with items such as Jagermeister Herbal Liqueur gift pack at R349.99 and Savanna at R299 (pack size not stated). Business Day reported in March 2026 that Shoprite has overtaken Tops as the grocery retailer with the most liquor outlets, that SPAR opened a net 26 Tops stores last year and that SPAR launched its "Turn Up Epic" campaign in October. South Africa's off-trade liquor market passed R100 billion in 2024 sales. You must be 18 or older.

Last updated: October 2026. Facts come from the cataloguespecials.co.za Tops page (21 October 2026), Business Day (2 March 2026), SPAR Group's history page and Bizcommunity. The aggregator's store count is approximate, an older article gave 650 stores, and one listing showed an obvious price error (Flying Fish at R15,000) which we ignore. Pack sizes were not stated for most items.

tops! at SPAR in numbers

Fact	Detail	Source
Launch	2000	SPAR Group history
Locations	623 (aggregator, October 2026); 913 reported in November 2024; 650 in an older article	Conflicting by date and definition
New stores last financial year	Net 26	Business Day
Strategy	Selective growth focused on existing stores: transactions, basket size, execution	Business Day
Share of SPAR Southern Africa sales	About 13%	Business Day
Where people buy	Over 90% of shoppers still buy alcohol in-store	Business Day
Market size	Off-trade liquor passed R100 billion in 2024	Business Day citing Trade Intelligence
Competition	Shoprite overtook Tops by outlet count; Pick n Pay and Boxer expanding	Business Day

Why the count differs: 623, 650 and 913 may measure different things (stores trading as tops!, stores attached to SPAR supermarkets, or all liquor outlets in the group). Use the figure only with its source and date.

The current leaflet

Item	Listed price	Note
Jagermeister Herbal Liqueur gift pack	R349.99	Size not stated
Savanna	R299.00	Probably a multipack; check
Leaflet validity	19 October to 8 November 2026	The site says leaflets usually release every weekend

Because pack sizes are missing, you cannot calculate the price per litre from these listings. Always check the shelf tag. For comparison, Shoprite Liquor listed Jagermeister Orange 750 ml at R299.99, which shows that gift packs may bundle accessories such as glasses.

How to judge a tops! special

1. Find the pack size and compute the price per litre.
2. Check what a gift pack includes. Glasses or shot cups add value only if you want them.
3. Compare with Shoprite Liquor, Pick n Pay Liquor and Boxer Liquors.
4. Check the dates: this leaflet ends on 8 November.
5. Scan SPAR Rewards; the programme has 12.8 million cards.

Why liquor matters to a grocery group

Business Day says grocery remains SPAR's core earnings driver, while liquor is about 13% of sales in southern Africa. In a weak year (SPAR's headline earnings per share fell 55.5% in the six months to 27 March 2026), a growing liquor line is attractive, but saturation limits new stores. SPAR is therefore trying to raise sales in existing Tops stores through campaigns and better execution. As a shopper, that suggests promotions will stay active as chains compete for the same customers, though the best deals still require comparison.

Competitor	Liquor footprint (reported)
Shoprite Liquor	Largest by outlet count among grocers per Trade Intelligence; store count not published on the page we read
Pick n Pay Liquor	About 687 stores in a 2024 breakdown
Boxer Liquors	206 stores in May 2026
tops! at SPAR	623 to 913 depending on source and date

The law and safety

• No sales to anyone under 18.
• The driving limit is 0.05 g per 100 ml of blood.
• Buy only from licensed outlets.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Many stores attached to SPAR supermarkets, which is convenient.

Cons

• Aggregator listings omit pack sizes.
• Store counts conflict.

Frequently asked questions

When does the tops! leaflet end?

8 November 2026.

How many tops! stores are there?

623 per an aggregator; other sources differ.

When did tops! launch?

2000.

Is liquor important to SPAR?

About 13% of SPAR Southern Africa's sales.

Sources

• Cataloguespecials: Spar Tops catalogue (21 October 2026); SPAR Group history page
• Business Day (2 March 2026): Spar's Tops intensifies fight for market share; Bizcommunity: Tops at Spar rebrands