Edgars was founded in
Johannesburg,
South Africa in 1929, by brothers Morris and Eli Ross. The company was named after London-based department store Swan & Edgar. In 2018 Edgars introduced a new, larger 8,000 square meter store in
Fourways Mall in Johannesburg, featuring trees, play areas, a coffee shop, “beauty rooms” where customers can get makeovers, and a section that allows customers to print their own text or images on clothing. Edgars promoted the new prototype store design as "a bit like a town square, a multi-sensory, tree-lined central social space". In January 2020 it announced it would close its 6,000 square meter store in the upscale Rosebank Mall in Johannesburg suburb
Rosebank. In June 2020 Edcon put the chain up for sale due to economic difficulties stemming from the
COVID-19 pandemic. On 7 July 2020 it was announced that Edcon has signed an agreement to sell the chain to
Durban-based Retailability, which operated 460 stores across Southern Africa and was the owner of brands Legit, which Edcon had sold to Retailability four years prior, Beaver Canoe (Swagga), and Style. Retailability acquired 130 of 194 Edgars stores. In September of the same year, the company under the new leadership announced that it was repositioning Edgars as a mass market brand focused on fashion and beauty products, shifting from its previous higher end fashion and homeware portfolio. In 2025, Edgars downsized a number of its South African stores, as part of its plans to reduce rentals and increase profitability. ==References==