Cape Union Mart – South African trademarks
Updated 8 November 2026
Cape Union Mart is a South African outdoor, travel and fashion retailer. Its brands include K-Way, Old Khaki, Poetry and Tread+Miller.
How Cape Union Mart has built and protected its brands in South Africa – its trademark portfolio, where it expanded, how quickly its marks are registered, and who it competes with.
Download report (PDF)Cape Union Mart trademarks in 45 seconds
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/cape-union-mart-south-african-trademarks/overview-video.html
A portfolio built over time
Cape Union Mart filed its first South African trademark in 1962 and has filed 231 since; its busiest year was 2023, with 28 new filings. The chart shows its filings per year from 1970.
Trademarks by filing year, up to 2024; applications still pending are not included.
The names behind the portfolio
Over the years the group has filed under several names – earlier company names, holding companies and subsidiaries. We count them together.
| Name | Marks | Filing years |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Union Mart | 194 | 1962–2024 |
| Cape Union Mart Group International | 41 | 1988–2011 |
| Cape Union Mart Group | 3 | 2013–2013 |
Where Cape Union Mart expanded its business
Trademark classes show what a business sells. Cape Union Mart's portfolio is concentrated in clothing (class 25), leather & bags (class 18), advertising & retail (class 35). Its most recent moves were into paper & print (2024), metal goods (2024), carpets (2024).
Cape Union Mart trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/cape-union-mart-south-african-trademarks/class-expansion-video.html
Each tile is a class; it lights up when the group first files in it and darkens with more filings; the dots show how many of its closest rivals also file in that class. The chart compares the number of classes used with its rivals. The video runs from 1970; classes entered earlier are lit from the start.
| Class | Marks | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Clothing | 80 | 34.6% | 1962 |
| 18 Leather & bags | 34 | 14.7% | 1980 |
| 35 Advertising & retail | 28 | 12.1% | 2003 |
| 24 Textiles | 20 | 8.7% | 1980 |
| 22 Ropes & tents | 11 | 4.8% | 1980 |
| 42 Tech & IT services | 10 | 4.3% | 1988 |
| 20 Furniture | 9 | 3.9% | 2003 |
| 9 Electronics & software | 8 | 3.5% | 2011 |
The brands Cape Union Mart protects most
The word marks and logo names Cape Union Mart has filed most often – the same brand filed in more classes, in more versions or again over the years.
| # | Brand | Trademarks | Classes | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | POETRY | 20 | 16 | 2005–2024 |
| 2 | K-WAY | 16 | 9 | 1980–2020 |
| 3 | RARE EARTH | 10 | 5 | 2008–2012 |
| 4 | BIRST | 6 | 6 | 2018–2018 |
| 5 | CAPE UNION MART EST. 1933 | 6 | 6 | 2013–2013 |
| 6 | K-WAY KIDS | 6 | 6 | 2007–2007 |
| 7 | KILIMANJARO | 6 | 5 | 1999–2009 |
| 8 | OLD KHAKI | 6 | 4 | 1999–2013 |
| 9 | CAPE UNION | 5 | 5 | 2005–2008 |
| 10 | K-TEC | 5 | 5 | 2009–2009 |
| 11 | LOST PROPERTY | 5 | 3 | 2008–2008 |
| 12 | OLD KHAKI MADE BETTER | 4 | 4 | 2022–2022 |
| 13 | TAVERN OF THE SEAS | 4 | 4 | 1962–1988 |
| 14 | UNRESTRICTED | 4 | 4 | 2017–2017 |
| 15 | THERMALATOR | 4 | 2 | 2002–2003 |
Logos filed most often (since 2020)
Cape Union Mart's logos
The 14 different logos Cape Union Mart has had published since 2020 – each logo shown once, however many classes or versions it was filed in. Logos protected in more classes come first.
How quickly its trademarks are registered
Over the last five years, Cape Union Mart's marks took a median of 2.9 years from filing to registration, slower than the market's 2.7 years. Most of that time is examination: 2.4 years from filing to acceptance (market: 1.9). Registration itself follows about half a year after acceptance.
Median years from filing to registration per registration year, split into examination (filing → acceptance) and acceptance → registration; the dashed line is the market median. A high recent value means older applications came through that year.
Who files the most in Cape Union Mart's classes
Ranked by number of trademarks filed in Cape Union Mart's main classes – any company that files there, whatever else it does (including retailers' own brands). This shows Cape Union Mart's market position, not who is most like it.
In the last five years, Cape Union Mart was #15 of 2,715 filers in class 25 (clothing), with 15 of 4,647 trademarks; #3 of 758 filers in class 18 (leather & bags), with 13 of 1,383 trademarks; #501 of 5,866 filers in class 35 (advertising & retail), with 3 of 11,124 trademarks.
Cape Union Mart's share of all trademarks filed in each of its main classes, per filing year.
Top trademark filers in class 25 (clothing), South Africa 1975–2024: Cape Union Mart
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/cape-union-mart-south-african-trademarks/class-25-race-video.html
Main competitors – the companies most like Cape Union Mart
Ranked by how similar their whole trademark portfolio is to Cape Union Mart's – the same mix of classes and the same words in their marks – not by size. Large filers in its classes that do something different rank lower here.
Cape Union Mart trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/cape-union-mart-south-african-trademarks/competitors-video.html
Trademark filings per year: Cape Union Mart (orange) and its five closest competitors.
| # | Company | Relationship | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woolworths | – | 92% |
| 2 | Walmart | – | 80% |
| 3 | TFG | – | 78% |
| 4 | Edcon | – | 74% |
| 5 | Target | – | 74% |
| 6 | Fast Retailing | – | 74% |
| 7 | Outdoor Investments | – | 73% |
| 8 | Performance Brands | – | 72% |
| 9 | Truworths | – | 72% |
| 10 | LVMH | – | 72% |
Similarity of trademark activity since 2015 (classes and words used in marks). Retailers appear where their own brands compete on the shelf.
Cape Union Mart – relevant export countries
South Africa exported US$1.2 billion of the goods Cape Union Mart's main classes cover in the last year – clothing; footwear; socks; jackets (class 25); bags; umbrellas; backpacks; walking sticks (class 18); textiles; sleeping bags; fabrics; covers (class 24); tents; ropes; tarpaulins (class 22); furniture; pillows; chairs (class 20). Combining where these goods are exported, imported, growing and made (and copied), and what protection costs, these are the markets where Cape Union Mart's trademarks matter most.
Where South Africa exports Cape Union Mart's top goods
Cape Union Mart's trademarks most often cover clothing, bags, textiles, tents and furniture. South Africa's ten largest export markets for these goods took 77% of its exports of them in 2024.
South Africa's exports of each good to the country in 2024 (US$ million). The goods are the ones Cape Union Mart's specifications mention most in its main classes; the figures are national exports, not the company's own sales.
Adjust the weightings
These weightings decide how the countries below are ranked. Change any value and the others adjust to keep the total at 100%.
Worldwide
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Union | 73 | US$63 m | -2% | National | US$2,388 |
| 2 | United States of America | 68 | US$27 m | -10% | National | US$3,425 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 66 | US$17 m | -7% | National | US$1,371 |
| 4 | Namibia | 62 | US$223 m | +1% | ARIPO | US$450 |
| 5 | Japan | 61 | US$1.2 m | -4% | National | US$1,774 |
| 6 | Botswana | 60 | US$222 m | +1% | ARIPO | US$450 |
| 7 | Australia | 59 | US$17 m | -6% | National | US$2,380 |
| 8 | Switzerland | 59 | US$2.7 m | -3% | National | US$1,660 |
| 9 | Canada | 58 | US$825 k | -8% | National | US$2,192 |
| 10 | Hong Kong SAR | 56 | US$642 k | +5% | National | US$1,715 |
Africa
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namibia | 62 | US$223 m | +1% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 2 | Botswana | 60 | US$222 m | +1% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 3 | Nigeria | 55 | US$5.5 m | -8% | National | US$1,015 S&Z |
| 4 | Malawi | 54 | US$11 m | +60% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 5 | Tanzania | 54 | US$11 m | +3% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 6 | OAPI (17 states) | 53 | US$6.4 m | +0% | National | US$1,563 S&Z |
| 7 | Zimbabwe | 53 | US$44 m | +2% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 8 | Mozambique | 52 | US$56 m | -19% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 9 | Lesotho | 50 | US$130 m | +20% | National | US$326 |
| 10 | Uganda | 49 | US$3.9 m | +2% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
SA exports = South Africa's exports of these goods to the market in the last year. Ranked with the default weightings. Score 0–100 from South Africa's exports of the goods to the market, net imports, import growth, foreign trademark filings, where the goods are made, market size and the cost of protection. Costs are total fees (official and professional) to file in 5 classes; ARIPO costs are per country, plus US$301 once per ARIPO application; S&Z = S&Z's own all-in price. Goods are taken from the classes and specifications, so the ranking is indicative.
Trade data: CEPII BACI (version 202601, trade flows 2022–2024), Licence Etalab 2.0; aggregated and combined with other data by S&Z.
Protecting its top brands in Nigeria and OAPI with S&Z
| Brand | Classes | Nigeria | OAPI (17 states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| POETRY | 16 | US$3,248 | US$3,595 |
| K-WAY | 9 | US$1,827 | US$2,302 |
| RARE EARTH | 5 | US$1,015 | US$1,563 |
| BIRST | 6 | US$1,218 | US$1,748 |
| CAPE UNION MART EST. 1933 | 6 | US$1,218 | US$1,748 |
S&Z all-in prices per brand in its number of classes, filing to registration.
TM Country Selection Rank the countries for your own goods and get the quotes.
Word marks you may have considered opposing
For Cape Union Mart's five most-filed brands: word marks of other companies (not Cape Union Mart's own group) that our similar word mark search, SimTM, found in the brand's own classes, and that we consider confusingly similar – from the earliest match found to today.
Similar to POETRY (classes 18, 24, 25, 35; searched 2018-04-25 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to K-WAY (classes 18, 22, 24, 25, 35; searched 2018-01-31 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to RARE EARTH (classes 3, 14, 18, 25, 35; searched 2018-05-30 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to BIRST (classes 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 28; searched 2018-10-31 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to CAPE UNION MART EST. 1933 (classes 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 35; searched 2018-01-31 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similarity of the words only. Whether a mark could have been opposed depends on the goods and services, the reputation of the brand and the facts – S&Z can advise. New marks like these are what SimTM watch reports as they are published.
How S&Z can help you
S&Z does not just file trademarks. We are a technology-first firm that manages trademarks – analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected.
We manage your trademarks – not just file them
Analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected:
Filing and renewal at fixed, all-inclusive prices
S&Z prices – South African trademarks
| Filing, first class – incl. official fee, examination report, routine office action, acceptance, publication, registration and e-certificate | US$240 |
| Each additional class of the same mark, filed at the same time | US$225 |
| Renewal online, per class (every 10 years from filing) | R1,027 ≈ US$62.29 |
Renewal in rand; US$ at R16.49 per US$.
Cape Union Mart's next five years of renewals
98 of Cape Union Mart's registered marks reach their ten-year renewal date in 2027–2031. Renewed online with S&Z, that costs about US$6,104 over the five years.
Cape Union Mart: frequently asked questions
What should Cape Union Mart consider for its trademarks?
- Where to file next: its goods sell strongly in Namibia, Botswana and Nigeria – markets where South African exports of the same goods are large or growing, and where S&Z files at its own all-in prices (see “Cape Union Mart – relevant export countries”).
- Possible gaps: its competitors also protect class 5 (pharmaceuticals), class 41 (education & entertainment) – worth checking against what the business sells or plans to sell.
- Renewals and use: keep track of the ten-year renewal dates and of marks that are no longer used – unused marks can be challenged after five years, and some may no longer be worth renewing.