"Woolworth" Catalogue Specials: Three Companies, One Name, and How to Reach the South African One

Quick answer: If you typed "Woolworth catalogue specials", you may land on Woolworths Group in Australia, whose catalogues change every Wednesday and list prices in dollars (for example a catalogue from 28 October 2026 and "Half Price" lists), or on the historic Woolworth chain in Europe, neither of which is the South African retailer. South Africa's Woolworths is part of Woolworths Holdings Limited (JSE: WHL), with about 1,007 South African locations, 710 Woolworths food stores among 1,010 Woolworths-branded locations, and revenue of about R82.77 billion in 2026. Look for rand prices, the Woolies app and MyDifference to be sure you are on the right site.

Last updated: October 2026. Facts come from Wikipedia (Woolworths Holdings Limited; Woolworth (Europe)), Australian catalogue aggregators that appeared in the same search results (used only to explain the confusion), and Supermarket.co.za. The Australian and South African businesses are unrelated today, despite the shared name. We do not quote prices.

Which Woolworth(s) are you looking at?

Name	Where	How to recognise a catalogue page
Woolworths (Woolworths Holdings)	South Africa	Rand prices; Woolies app; MyDifference; stores such as Canal Walk and Hyde Park Corner
Woolworths Group	Australia	Dollar prices; Wednesday-to-Tuesday weekly catalogues; "Half Price" pages
Woolworth (historic)	Europe (Wikipedia disambiguation)	Not a current grocery chain in South Africa

The different spellings (Woolworth, Woolworths, Woolies) often return the same mixed results. Adding "South Africa" or "Woolies app" to your search narrows it. If the Woolworths offers are not quite what you need, it is worth comparing them with the latest Babies R Us catalogue and the current PEP Stores catalogue before you decide.

The South African company in numbers

Fact	Figure
Total locations (2026)	1,669, including about 1,007 in South Africa
Woolworths-branded locations	1,010, of which 710 are food stores
Absolute Pets	196 stores in South Africa
WCafe cafes	About 230
Revenue (2026)	About R82.77 billion
Rewards programme	MyDifference since June 2025; WRewards ended 30 June 2026

How to reach the right catalogue

1. Search "Woolies app South Africa" and install the app.
2. Go to woolworths.co.za and open promotions.
3. Use South African aggregators such as catalogueza.co.za or My Catalogue, checking for rand prices.
4. Check store listings for South African malls.
5. Close any page that shows dollars.

An example of how a wrong result misleads

An Australian catalogue might show a pack of chicken at 9.00 dollars. At an exchange rate of, say, R12 to the Australian dollar (an assumption for illustration), that is R108, which is meaningless to a South African shopper because the stores, suppliers and prices differ. Treat any dollar-priced page as irrelevant. Likewise, a "Woolworth" page about the historic US five-and-dime chain tells you nothing about today's South African Woolies.

Signal	Meaning
Prices with R and cents (R29.99)	South Africa
Prices with $ or AUD	Not South Africa
Wednesday-to-Tuesday weekly cycle	Probably Australia
Mentions MyDifference or Woolies app	South Africa

A short history of why names overlap

The name Woolworth has a long history across several countries, which is why an unqualified search returns so many results. The original F. W. Woolworth Company was an American chain of low-price shops that spread to the United Kingdom and, through licensing and spin-offs, to other markets. Over the decades the businesses separated: the British and American chains closed or changed, while separate companies carrying a similar name emerged in Australia and South Africa. The South African Woolworths was established independently and is run by Woolworths Holdings, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Today the businesses are unrelated, and the South African company is known for quality food and fashion.

For a shopper, the lesson is practical. Always check which country a catalogue is from, whether its currency is rand and whether the loyalty programme matches the South African one. If you share links with friends, name the retailer as Woolworths South Africa or Woolies to avoid confusion. If you are researching the company as an investor, use the JSE ticker WHL and the company's annual reports rather than search engine results. The result is the same: a few seconds of care avoids hours of misinformation, and in the case of fake sites, possible fraud.

Tip	Why
Say "Woolworths South Africa" or "Woolies"	Narrows search results
Check the currency	Rand means South Africa
Use the JSE ticker WHL for investor information	Avoids confusion with other companies
Type the website yourself	Avoids fake sites

Pros and cons of searching with variant spellings

Pros

• Variant spellings still find the brand.

Cons

• More wrong-country results.

Frequently asked questions

Is Woolworth the same as Woolworths?

In South Africa, people mean Woolworths (Woolies). The singular spelling often returns other countries.

Is the Australian Woolworths related?

No, the companies are separate today.

How do I know it is South African?

Rand prices, the Woolies app and MyDifference.

How many South African locations are there?

About 1,007.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Woolworths Holdings Limited; Woolworth (Europe)
• Australian aggregator catalogue pages (used only to explain the confusion)
• Supermarket.co.za: Woolworths retires rewards cards as MyDifference takes centre stage