Africa top 200 report: South African brands take top 10 spots

The Citizen

a day ago

The top 10 brands include network operators, banks and retail groups.
The top 10 most valued brands in Africa are all South African, with Africa's largest mobile network operator, MTN, retaining first position.
Brand Finance, responsible for compiling the report of the top 200 brands in Africa, commenced in 2020. Since its establishment, MTN, headquartered in Johannesburg, has consistently held the top spot.
According to the report, the network operator has a brand value of $2.9 billion (more than R52 billion). Nigeria remains a substantial market for MTN, boasting a substantial subscriber base.
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Top 10 South African brands
Jeremy Sampson, executive chair of Brand Finance Africa, said: 'The dominance of banking, telecoms and retail brands in the Africa 200 2025 ranking truly highlights that these companies are vital to the daily lives of African consumers and that these sectors are driving the continent's emerging economies.
'Their continued growth, despite fierce global competition, proves that African brands can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's best, offering high-quality products and services that resonate across the continent and globally.'
The top 10 brands include network operators, banks and retail groups.
South African brand values
Brand value is understood as the net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
'In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity and business performance,' reads the report.
MTN – $2.9 billion (more than R52 billion) Vodacom – $2.5 billion (more than R45 billion) Standard Bank – $2.2 billion (more than R39 billion) FNB – $1.7 billion (more than R30 billion) Absa – $1.5 billion (more than R28 billion) Checkers – $1.4 billion (more than R25 billion) Woolworths SA – $1.3 billion (R23 billion) Nedbank – $1.2 billion (more than R21 billion) Investec – $1.2 billion (more than R21 billion) Shoprite – $1.2 billion (more than R21 billion)
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Checkers earns outstanding domestic brand
'Brand Finance research reveals that Checkers earns outstanding domestic brand perceptions across several brand strength metrics, including likeability, consideration and recommendation.
'Data also shows that Checkers outperforms leading global counterparts when compared to their respective home markets, including Walmart in the US, Coles in Australia and Marks & Spencer in the UK,' reads the report.
The report also includes other South African brands which are believed to be fast-growing. One of the brands is Capitec bank, which held the 28th position in 2024, but now sits at 14th. It has doubled its brand value to $1.1 billion (more than R19 billion).
The report also included Clicks, Pick n Pay, Mr Price, Outsurance and Dis-Chem.
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