THE SOUTH AFRICAN SHOP opened at 11.00 am on Saturday 21st August 1999 in the town centre of Maidenhead in Berkshire and, a few years later, at www.SouthAfricanShop.co.uk.

For 11 years we have delivered great value on branded South African products and loads of great special offers and MULTIBUYS to make your family's life more enjoyable with that wonderful taste of home.

It's great to know that there is one South African haven right here in England that you can trust to deliver your favourite quality products to you week in and week out, very efficiently and without fuss.

So, we might be in the midst of a recession, but our store - THE SOUTH AFRICAN SHOP in the centre of the beautiful Thames Valley is well worth a visit this week.

It's only half an hour from London in the town centre of Maidenhead in Berkshire and is easy to visit by car or train. This really is the world famous THE SOUTH AFRICAN SHOP and is the largest store of its type in the UK with well over a thousand of your favourite products. Come and see for yourself like so many other families from all over Britain - and Europe too!.

For pictures of the store and full directions on how to get there click HERE now!

Or if that's just too far away, buy online before 12 noon Monday to Friday and we can deliver all of your favourite South African products to you by sundown next day (except Sunday) no matter where you are in Great Britain, or two to three days later if you live in Europe.

Buy online now and experience our fast, efficient, friendly South African service together with our guaranteed delivery service and secure online payment system. What could be better? Everything that you could possibly want from South Africa to wherever you are in Great Britain by sundown tomorrow* Not only that but we will send you a free up to date London based South African newspaper and a novelty free gift of your choice with every order with our compliments.

(*We offer FREE DELIVERY to all addresses in England, Wales and Southern Scotland if you order more than £49.99 worth of goods inc VAT. We use DHL or Royal Mail to deliver Monday to Saturday and you have a choice of delivery day. Orders made before 12 noon on Friday for delivery to UK addresses can be delivered by sundown on Monday unless a Saturday delivery is requested. If you order less than a £50 order then delivery charges will be typically start from £2.99 dependent upon the size and weight of the parcel).

Deliveries to Europe typically take two to three days depending upon where you are and delivery charges vary according to your location. Check the Delivery Charges section for delivery costs to your country.

Even in the midst of a British summer you yearn for sunny South Africa. If you're missing your home in South African or Zimbabwe or Zambia or Malawi or Namibia or Botswana or anywhere in Southern Africa that can make you feel pretty bad. We all know how it feels. The longing that you feel for the sun, the light gentle breezes, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the sunsets, the thunderstorms, the friendly people, the smell of the braais, the sun rising over the sea in Durban, Table Mountain glistening in the sunlight. The list of memories is endless. You didn't believe that you could miss home so much until you felt like this. And even when it's sunny here, it isn't South Africa. And when its cold and grey its even worse. Cheer up! We might not be able to give you a shimmering South African beach but we know that you'll feel much better if you come and visit us in Maidenhead (30 miles west of London just off the M4 motorway) at

THE SOUTH AFRICAN SHOP retail shop in Maidenhead.

and .... THE SOUTH AFRICAN SHOP in Maidenhead is the largest of the specialist South African Shops in the UK, providing you with easy access to the widest range of over 1000 South African (and Zimbabwean) products and brands!

Lekker?

And our existing customers are very happy too, even when things go wrong and we need to work fast to make sure that our customers are happy - as some of the following emails show!

From Gillian Lonsdale in Huddersfield. "Dear Mike, I just had to drop you a note to say a big thank you, to you and your staff. I placed my order at lunch time yesterday and received it at 11.30 this morning! Great service, well packed and presented goods, thank you. We will certainly be ordering again. Your customer service is second to none, your staff could not have been more helpful or well mannered.
A couple of weeks ago I heard a group of people on the radio talking about a 'South African' shop in the UK. Somebody said 'What do they sell?', another person said, 'Well if they sell South Africans, then I am going to order a couple because they work really hard and are so well mannered.' That comment made me giggle, but they were right!
I am looking forward to my breakfast tomorrow, Ouma's Beskuit, dipped in coffee, followed by Anchovette on toast, lekker. Regards, Gill

"Hi ya! Just received the Kingklip package...Thanks...even at this time of day we are looking forward to our evening meal/feast!! Thanks again" - Stuart (Selby Yorkshire)

"Thanks a lot for your efforts Mike, I have placed an order for three boxes of Strawberry Pops!! Isn't the internet a wonderful thing!! Take it easy and kind regards, Marc Wandler" (Queensland Australia)

"My order arrived in perfect condition. Many thanks" - Jonathan Khan (Standard Bank)

"Dear Mike, Thank you so much for your rapid reply and your kind gesture. I'm sorry for having to complain, but we do love visiting your store and wanted you to know how suprised we were. I am very glad to know you have such strict procedures in place. Kind Regards, Katherine"

"Would just like to let you know that this is the second time that we are ordering products from your shop and we are very pleased with the quality and the service. Well done!" Chantel duToit

Howzit Mike, Well done on your store!!!! Your site asks: Lekker ne? Ja, ek se. Your store and service is ACE! I got the phone call in the evening and the goods the next day. Your homepage mentions homesickness. Yes, your goods finally brought a little bit of Africa into our house. Just to see those products from back the other side was a delight. Then to enjoy them! Keep up this great work! Luke "Ruka" Jones son of a Rhodesian.

"Dear South African Shop, Just a note to thank you very much for the prompt delivery of my order for biltong - which arrived today! Your service and assistance have been exemplary and I will have no hesitation in ordering again from you in the future. Kind regards and all the best", Tony Gray Abu Dhabi, UAE

"I just want to tell you how brilliant your website is. I ordered things on line and received it in no time, brilliant, no hassle. Thank you. Best wishes", home-sick South African.

"Since I have been ordering my items from you I am really impressed with your service. In the past I have been ordering my stuff from another South African shop. I won't mention names, but their service is very poor. I would like to say well done and I am definitely going to recommend my friends to you." Regards Di Cronje

"I spoke to you on Saturday concerning the fact that my order hadn't arrived and you said you would check on Monday. Just a quick note to say the order has arrived safely. Many thanks for all your help. I have been very impressed with your service and would definitely use and recommend you again. Many thanks Howard Thundow"

"Thank you for getting on this order and getting it done and sent over, and I am sure that I will enjoy these video's. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. Regards LCPL Pienaar Semper United States Marine Corps"

"Many thanks for the Shirt which arrived while I was in the Middle East, and for the very "interesting" CD Rom!! All the best, Colin (Australia)"

"Received my order thank you and will be looking forward to getting it on the braai. Biltong is good. Thank you for the quick delivery and will be in touch for another order in the future. Best regards, Brian Steven, ex Rhodesian."

"The boerewors did eventually get delivered! Thank you very much for your help finding out what had happened to them. I have ordered twice from you now, and both times I've received an excellent service. I will definitely be ordering from you again, and recommending your shop to all my SA friends here in muddy England. As it is, you were recommended to me by a new friend I met on honeymoon in Jamaica, so there is something to be said for "word-of-mouth"!!! Thanks again Mrs Michelle Jones"

"Just a quick note to say items received in good order and at the right time. Thank you and I intend to make further purchases in the future. Regards, Andrew Jarret"

"I would like to thank you very much for taking such an interest in my problems with your delivery service and also for the voucher, it was much appreciated. I shall be sending my order in shortly. I was pleased to get the replacement chocolates and I am sure that my brother will enjoy his treat no end when he opens his birthday parcel on Friday. Yours Sincerely, Tracey Jackman"

The last e-mail shows that even where we have problems with our third party delivery service, wherever it is in the UK or beyond, we take immediate action to find out where the problem lies - and to fix it! That is why I know that our guarantee really works for you, the customer.

I look forward to you joining our friendly South African family. Remember, if you have any problems at all, don't hesitate to call. I guarantee that we will provide the very best service to you and your family. Most of our customers don't have any problems but call anyway!

Warm and friendly South African regards

Yours very sincerely