Difficult times can pressure businesses into bold reinventions, and Pantry by Marble is a prime example. media update looks at how the Marble Hospitality Group used publicity to turn a petrol station into a must-visit destination and what brands can learn from them about redefining a category.
Visit Cape Town, and you'll quickly get directions to tourist attractions like Table Mountain or Lions Head. But, here in Jozi? The locals will send you to a petrol station home to Pantry — you're not-so-average convenience store.
Founded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pantry began as a crisis-driven attempt to rethink the hospitality business. With restaurants amongst the hardest-hit industries during the lockdown, Marble Hospitality Group looked at several ways to restructure its operations and eventually landed on a premium forecourt that combined convenience, retail and hospitality.
As the business model changed to keep up with economic uncertainties, the brand was forced to communicate an entirely new proposition to consumers. An upscale restaurant is quite an acceptable standard in South African hospitality, but an upscale petrol station convenience store? That was fairly new.
Via Facebook
Petrol stations, however, offered a loophole: since they were considered essential services, they stayed open throughout lockdown. Pantry's task was to change that perception, so that the act of refueling one's car turned into just the start of an experience.
The communication triumph lay in repositioning consumer perception from simple utility to curated experiential retail. Backed by the culinary clout of Chef David Higgs, the messaging successfully detached the forecourt from its traditionally functional reputation, inviting customers to see the space as a destination.
To build sustained audience engagement, the brand launched experiential monthly tentpoles. These include the Pantry Cook-Along, a live interactive masterclass hosted by Chef David Higgs himself, and the Cookie Club, a monthly drop of giant, artisanal cookies paired with signature soft-serve flavours pulling in massive lines every last Saturday of the month.
Driven by Rocker media's viral short-form video campaigns, the resulting hype generated widespread earned media coverage, which cemented the brand as a premium lifestyle destination over a simple convenience store.
2026 sees this narrative as much more than boutique novelty. From its Rosebank flagship, Pantry has expanded to Hazelwood, Bassonia and Fourways with a 30-store national expansion plan in the works. The recent appointment of former McDonald's SA CEO, Greg Solomon, as the new Chief Executive also signals a corporate realignment from social media hype to structured, aggressive market penetration.
Pantry's inception demonstrates that when you boldly redefine an entire consumer category through successful PR, consumers don't just buy your product, they champion your story.
Did you enjoy this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
*Image courtesy of Facebook and Canva
**Information sourced from Business Tech, BizMag, Business Tech and Pantry