“Yall Suing”: KwaZulu-Natal Woman’s Discovery of China Hyper Store Goes Viral

• A KwaZulu-Natal woman discovered a furniture store called China Hyper in Tongaat that looked similar to Checkers Hyper
• The store specialises in home furniture and operates at the oThongathi Mall, with many people initially thinking it was copying the popular Checkers Hyper brand
• South Africans joked about potential legal action and expressed shock at the similar branding

A KwaZulu-Natal woman has accidentally started a viral debate about brand similarities after discovering a store that had South Africans doing double takes. The video, shared on 27 July 2025 while driving through Tongaat, showed what appeared to be a familiar retail name with an unexpected twist.

Content creator @thirdoneonline, who shares personal content and lifestyle videos from KwaZulu-Natal, was driving past oThongathi Mall when she spotted something unusual. What looked like a Checkers Hyper store actually had "China Hyper" written on the building, causing immediate confusion about whether this was a knockoff version of the popular South African retailer.

The furniture store, which operates at oThongathi Mall in Tongaat, focuses specifically on home furniture products rather than groceries like Checkers Hyper. According to their Facebook page announcement:

"China Hyper Home furniture store is opening its doors at the oThongathi Mall in Tongaat!"

However, the similar name and branding style caused many viewers to assume it was copying the established Checkers brand.

Mzansi reacts to China Hyper discovery

South Africans flooded the comments with their thoughts on the surprising find:

@Seeking_Truth noted:

"Do you know what's actually funny? There's or was a House & Home just a few steps away from there 😂"

@goldilocks1123 commented:

"These guys are too smart 😂"

@Chronicles shared:

"I saw this in Durban the other day, I was sooooo shocked!"

@Chiefwazo pointed out:

"And Sixty60 showed up on the video 😩"

@Fw_KINGSLEY joked:

"@Checkers_Sixty60 yall suing🙏🙏🙏"

@Kundz exclaimed:

"Hhayi, I think 2025 is done, we have seen it all 😂"

What is Checkers Hyper's business model

According to Wikipedia, Checkers is a South African supermarket chain that started in 1956, founded by Norman Hertz Herber. Today, it is owned by the Shoprite Group and has grown into one of the country’s biggest retail names. By September 2024, Checkers had 597 stores across South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. This includes 38 Checkers Hyper stores, which are much larger than normal supermarkets and sell not just groceries but also homeware and clothing.

The chain mainly serves middle- to high-income shoppers and has a long history of innovation. In 1985, Checkers introduced South Africa’s first grocery delivery service. Decades later, in 2019, it launched the Sixty60 app, which allows customers to get groceries delivered within 60 minutes. By 2024, Sixty60 had become the leading supermarket delivery service in South Africa, showing massive growth of 110% in that year alone.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

Other stories about retailers in SA

• Briefly News recently reported on a Cape Town man who blasted a retail store for selling expensive cottage pie, but what really shocked people was discovering which premium brand was charging the controversial price.
• A Cape Town woman showed how Checkers' smart trolley technology works and won free chocolate, though what had people most concerned was learning about the potential impact on store employees' jobs.
• A Shoprite cashier celebrated qualifying as a teacher while working full-time, but the most inspiring part was discovering exactly how she managed to balance studying and working to achieve her dream.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News