WeBuyCars (WBC) plans to reach an ambitious goal of buying 23,000 cars per month by more than doubling the number of outlets it operates throughout South Africa.
The company is one of the largest pre-owned car trading platforms in the country and primarily operates out of two different storefronts.
WBC’s leading business centres are its showrooms or “supermarkets,” which house hundreds of models that prospective customers can view before making a final purchase.
One such example of this is the company’s flagship location at the Dome in Gauteng, which features roughly 1,300 vehicles at any given time and sells 80 to 90 models per shift.
However, WBC also runs dozens of smaller buying stations around the country, which are referred to as “pods.”
These pods are often located in the parking lots of major shopping centres and provide a convenient option for motorists to take their car in for an evaluation.
An attendant will inspect the car and then make an offer to the owner, who can sell their vehicle to WBC on the spot.
The company recently added 10 new pods to its collection, raising the total number of buying stations to 83 around the country, including new locations in George, Polokwane, Joburg, Durban, and Gqebertha.
WeBuyCars CEO Faan van der Walt told the Sunday Times that 15% of all its vehicles are bought through these pods, equating to roughly 2,000 units per month.
He added that WBC aims to have 200 pods set up around South Africa within the next three to four years, more than doubling the 93 stations it currently has.
Looking at the bigger picture
Van der Walt stated that the company’s ultimate goal is to have a pod in every town in the country to make the service as accessible as possible to all motorists.
In addition, the car-buying platform will establish new supermarket facilities in key areas, including a 550-vehicle lot in Vereeniging, and two 1,300-vehicle lots in Landsdown, Cape Town and Montana, Pretoria.
WBC has seen increased activity in Bloemfontein, Witbank, and Middleburg, and there are plans to one day establish showrooms in these locations as well, according to chief strategy officer Willem Klopper.
KwaZulu-Natal was also named as an area of focus, as WBC intends to build a new supermarket in Richard’s Bay.
Klopper said that these new locations will assist the company in meeting its targets and expanding its national reach.
According to its most recent financial results, WeBuyCars bought 92,339 and sold 91,392 vehicles for the six months ending March 2025.
That works out to approximately 507 cars bought and 502 cars sold by WBC every day in South Africa, or 15,390 and 15,232 units per month, respectively.
The number of units bought increased by 12.9% year-on-year from the same period in 2024, while sales improved by 13.5%.
The company stated this growth was driven by lower inflation rates, improving consumer confidence, and cash injection into the economy from the two-pot retirement system.
Van der Walt also noted that WBC has been focusing on third-party sales, such as selling vehicles on behalf of banks and other businesses.
For example, WBC has partnered with Capitec to set up mini-branches at nine of its showrooms to help customers open loans.
The CEO stated that this partnership brings in an additional 600 sales per month all on its own.
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