The business of luxury convenience stores: Why your local garage now sells Wagyu

Anathi Ndevu

There was a time when a petrol station meant one thing: fuel, perhaps a Coke and a chocolate before getting back on the road.

Now you can order a Wagyu burger, sit down for pizza, buy imported sauces, grab a flat white and stay far longer than it takes to fill your tank.

I spent the day at a Johannesburg petrol station that looks and feels nothing like the ones many of us grew up with. Inside, I met the owner of Relish, a full-scale restaurant operating within a forecourt convenience space. What I found was not just about good food. It was about margins, shifting consumer behaviour and the quiet reinvention of retail.

Retail remains one of the biggest contributors to South Africa’s economy. In 2025, retail sales grew by close to 4%, reinforcing how central consumer spending is to jobs, household income and economic momentum. But the way people are spending is changing.

Fuel margins are tightly regulated and relatively thin. Petrol alone does not make a forecourt highly profitable. The real money sits inside the store — in coffee, hot food, groceries and higher-margin convenience products. That is why concepts like Pantry by Marble have emerged, turning petrol stations into hybrid retail and hospitality spaces. It is no longer just about topping up your tank; it is about capturing more of your daily spend in one stop.

Muhammad Patel, known as Chef Mo, the executive chef at Relish, describes it as a response to how people live now. “The shift in how people have interacted in Johannesburg, and in the world, has changed,” he told me. “It’s become a very fast-paced environment. People are looking for convenience right on their doorstep.”

One of the most telling insights from our conversation was that consumers are not necessarily spending more. “Spending differently,” he said plainly. In a constrained economy, big luxury nights out feel harder to justify. But smaller, accessible premium experiences still work: a quality burger, a well-made coffee, a casual meal shared with friends in a space that feels elevated but not intimidating.

Globally, research shows a shift away from buying things towards spending on experiences. Dining, connection and shared spaces are increasingly valued over possessions, especially when large purchases feel out of reach. In Johannesburg, that shift is playing out in unexpected places. Petrol stations are becoming casual social environments — less formal than fine dining, less performative, more accessible.

Young people in particular are using these spaces as meeting points. You do not just fill up; you sit, chat and stay. The fuel stop becomes part of a broader social routine. As Muhammad put it: “You can sit and hang out with your mates. You can grab a coffee, a pizza. You’re not in a fine-dining environment. It’s casual.”

Premium offerings inside a petrol station may sound contradictory, but the strategy is deliberate. Quality has to justify the price, and pricing has to reflect the surrounding demographic. “Premium works,” he said, “but affordability as well. You need to be at the right price point.” You cannot build a fine-dining concept in a space designed for speed. It has to be quick, consistent and convenient.

The investment is significant. The space I visited seats around 100 people and, according to Muhammad, between 1,000 and 2,000 customers move through the broader store on a busy day. “It’s a project that’s big. It’s not a small project,” he explained, describing the scale of operations required to maintain consistency in a high-traffic environment. That level of foot traffic requires capital, operational discipline and constant adaptation. Not every concept will succeed. Location, income profile and execution matter.

What is emerging is a hybrid retail model: part fuel station, part restaurant, part grocery store and part social hub. These spaces function as what many would call a “third space” — somewhere between home and work. In a city like Johannesburg, where time is scarce and traffic is constant, convenience becomes currency. If you can fill up, eat, meet and shop in one location, you are saving time while creating an experience.

For business, that translates into longer dwell time, larger basket sizes and stronger brand loyalty. For the economy, it signals how urban retail is adapting to consumers who are financially cautious but still value quality and connection.

Petrol stations are no longer purely functional infrastructure. They are becoming micro-retail ecosystems built around behavioural shifts.

The story is not just about pizza next to a pump. It is about how everyday spaces are being redesigned to meet a consumer who wants efficiency, accessibility and experience in one place.

And if that trend continues, the humble petrol station may offer an early glimpse into the future of urban retail in South Africa.