TFG Africa Online Sales Surge as Stores Close
Apparel retailers and landlords across Africa face a shift toward digital sales that is reshaping how physical store networks are sized and renewed.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Retail
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TFG Africa's online sales grew 53.3% in the six months to 30 September, while the retailer closed 120 stores and opened 41 across the region. The shift toward e-commerce affects retailers and landlords across six African countries where TFG trades from 3,585 stores.
Why it matters
Online now accounts for 10.9% of TFG Africa's sales, up from 7.4% a year earlier, as the group closed underperforming stores mostly when leases expired. The reshaping signals that physical footprint decisions are being driven by digital channel growth and lease timing rather than broad expansion.
Online sales grew 53.3% and now make up 10.9% of TFG Africa's sales, up from 7.4% a year earlier, while the group traded from 3,585 stores across six countries. Headline earnings per share fell 6.8% to 272.8c on group revenue that was flat at R31.4-billion.
The players
TFG Africa
A South African apparel retailer operating a multi-brand store network across six African countries, with online growth driven by its Bash platform.
Retail Liaison Committee
An industry body that reports market-level retail growth figures used as a benchmark for individual retailers' performance.
The details
TFG Africa closed 120 underperforming stores in the half, mostly as their leases expired, and opened 41 new ones. The online gain was driven by the Bash platform, with e-commerce revenue in the retail business rising to R2.2-billion from R1.4-billion. Demand on the Phase Eight, Hobbs and Whistles websites fell 30.2% in the five weeks to 31 October following a cyberattack on TFG London in October 2025.
Timeline
- 11 October 2025: TFG identified a cyberattack on TFG London.
- 30 September 2026: The six-month reporting period for the interim results ended.
- 31 October 2026: The five-week trading period ended with sales down 0.7%.
- Second half of the financial year: TFG plans to close another 60-80 stores.
Market Landscape
TFG Africa's 3.8% sales growth outpaced the 1% market growth reported by the Retail Liaison Committee, showing a retailer gaining share in a constrained market. The company's pattern of closing leased stores as agreements expire while building its online channel reflects a broader repositioning toward digital retail.
Retailers and landlords with exposure to TFG Africa's store network should expect lease renewals and closures to continue through the second half of the year. Operators weighing their own channel mix should note that online is now a growing share of a major African apparel retailer's sales.
The takeaway
Operators should track how TFG's second-half closures of 60-80 stores affect its online and like-for-like sales, since that will show whether digital growth can offset a shrinking physical network. Retailers planning lease strategy can use TFG's disclosed online share of 10.9% as a benchmark for their own channel mix.
What happens next
TFG plans to close another 60-80 stores in the second half of its financial year, and the outcome of that closure programme will show whether the physical footprint keeps contracting.
Further reading
For broader context on how store footprints and digital channels are shifting, see Retail.
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