Spur – South African trademarks

Updated 8 November 2026

Spur Corporation is a JSE-listed South African restaurant group. Its brands include Spur Steak Ranches, Panarottis, John Dory's, RocoMamas and Doppio Zero.

How Spur 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)
#198largest trademark owner in South Africa (of 121,626)
306trademarks filed
10different logos published since 2020
12of 45 classes used
1963first trademark filed
81filed in the last 10 years

Spur trademarks in 45 seconds

Spur trademarks in 45 seconds

Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/spur-south-african-trademarks/overview-video.html

A portfolio built over time

Spur filed its first South African trademark in 1963 and has filed 306 since; its busiest year was 2020, with 27 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.

NameMarksFiling years
Spur3661963–2024

Where Spur expanded its business

Trademark classes show what a business sells. Spur's portfolio is concentrated in restaurants & hotels (class 43), coffee, flour & sweets (class 30), meat, dairy & oils (class 29). Its most recent moves were into electronics & software (2022), furniture (2008), education & entertainment (2000).

Spur trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2024

Spur trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2024

Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/spur-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.

ClassMarksShareSince
43 Restaurants & hotels10735.0%1977
30 Coffee, flour & sweets9029.4%1963
29 Meat, dairy & oils8026.1%1963
42 Tech & IT services72.3%1988
41 Education & entertainment62.0%2000
9 Electronics & software51.6%2022
28 Toys & sports goods31.0%1988
20 Furniture20.7%2008

The brands Spur protects most

The word marks and logo names Spur has filed most often – the same brand filed in more classes, in more versions or again over the years.

#BrandTrademarksClassesFiled
1SPUR1371977–2022
2CASA BELLA842015–2022
3John Dory's842017–2024
4PANAROTTIS742020–2022
5GRILL & GO632015–2015
6PANAROTTI'S EXPRESS632000–2000
7REEL SUSHI632020–2020
8TEX-MEX631992–1992
9THE GOODIE BOX632020–2020
10DOUGH IT YOURSELF442008–2008
11GET THAT GREAT TASTE/GENIET DAARDIE SMULLEKKER SMAAK441995–1995
12SALAD VALLEY441986–1986
13SPUR SECRET TRIBE442000–2000
14THE HUSSAR GRILL442014–2022
15PIZZA PUG422020–2020

Logos filed most often (since 2020)

Spur trademark logo
6 filings · 3 classes
Spur trademark logo
4 filings · 3 classes
Spur trademark logo
3 filings · 3 classes
Spur trademark logo
3 filings · 3 classes
Spur trademark logo
3 filings · 3 classes
Spur trademark logo
2 filings · 2 classes
Spur trademark logo
2 filings · 2 classes
Spur trademark logo
2 filings · 2 classes
Spur trademark logo
1 filing · 1 class
Spur trademark logo
1 filing · 1 class

Spur's logos

The 10 different logos Spur 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, Spur's marks took a median of 2.3 years from filing to registration, faster than the market's 2.7 years. Most of that time is examination: 1.2 years from filing to acceptance (market: 1.9). Registration itself follows about half a year after acceptance. In 2026 the median jumped to 5.9 years: older applications – many filed years earlier – were finally accepted and registered, as the registry worked through its examination backlog.

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 Spur's classes

Ranked by number of trademarks filed in Spur's main classes – any company that files there, whatever else it does (including retailers' own brands). This shows Spur's market position, not who is most like it.

In the last five years, Spur was #2 of 1,259 filers in class 43 (restaurants & hotels), with 27 of 2,216 trademarks; #22 of 1,368 filers in class 30 (coffee, flour & sweets), with 15 of 3,209 trademarks; #14 of 919 filers in class 29 (meat, dairy & oils), with 14 of 2,013 trademarks.

Spur's share of all trademarks filed in each of its main classes, per filing year.

Top trademark filers in class 43 (restaurants & hotels), South Africa 1975–2024: Spur

Top trademark filers in class 43 (restaurants & hotels), South Africa 1975–2024: Spur

Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/spur-south-african-trademarks/class-43-race-video.html

Main competitors – the companies most like Spur

Ranked by how similar their whole trademark portfolio is to Spur'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.

Spur's closest competitors in South Africa are KFC, Wimpy (Pleasure Foods), Athanasios Cavallineas A South African … and Triplesevens Trust.

Spur trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024

Spur 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/spur-south-african-trademarks/competitors-video.html

Trademark filings per year: Spur (orange) and its five closest competitors.

#CompanyRelationshipSimilarity
1KFCDirect competitor78%
2Wimpy (Pleasure Foods)Direct competitor78%
3Athanasios Cavallineas A South African …Direct competitor76%
4Triplesevens TrustDirect competitor74%
5Nando'sDirect competitor72%
6Gastronomie InvestmentDirect competitor68%
7ShopriteRetailer's own brands82%
8Ajpg InvestmentsRetailer's own brands70%
9WoolworthsRetailer's own brands67%
10Food LoversRetailer's own brands66%

Similarity of trademark activity since 2015 (classes and words used in marks). Retailers appear where their own brands compete on the shelf.

Spur – relevant export countries

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

#MarketScoreSA exportsImport growth / yrRouteCost, 5 classes
1European Union83US$535 m-0%NationalUS$2,388
2United States of America76US$251 m+1%NationalUS$3,425
3United Kingdom68US$78 m-2%NationalUS$1,371
4India64US$26 m+9%NationalUS$1,295
5Japan63US$14 m-5%NationalUS$1,774
6Canada62US$37 m-3%NationalUS$2,192
7Hong Kong SAR62US$36 m-0%NationalUS$1,715
8Australia62US$87 m-1%NationalUS$2,380
9Türkiye60US$6.5 m+11%NationalUS$1,258
10Botswana59US$419 m-4%ARIPOUS$450

Africa

#MarketScoreSA exportsImport growth / yrRouteCost, 5 classes
1Botswana59US$419 m-4%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
2Lesotho56US$183 m+6%NationalUS$326
3Zimbabwe56US$233 m+14%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
4Mozambique55US$260 m+2%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
5Nigeria55US$45 m-10%NationalUS$1,015 S&Z
6OAPI (17 states)54US$60 m+8%NationalUS$1,563 S&Z
7Eswatini54US$158 m+3%NationalUS$446
8Tanzania53US$41 m+7%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
9Malawi52US$47 m+20%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
10Egypt52US$17 m-4%NationalUS$2,278

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

BrandClassesNigeriaOAPI (17 states)
SPUR7US$1,421US$1,932
CASA BELLA4US$812US$1,378
John Dory's4US$812US$1,378
PANAROTTIS4US$812US$1,378
GRILL & GO3US$609US$1,194

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 Spur's five most-filed brands: word marks of other companies (not Spur'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 SPUR (classes 3, 9, 18, 28, 29, 30, 43; no close matches in the search)

No confusingly similar marks of other companies found.

Similar to CASA BELLA (classes 9, 29, 30, 43; searched 2018-02-28 to 2026-11-08)

No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.

Similar to John Dory's (classes 9, 29, 30, 43; searched 2018-01-31 to 2026-11-08)

No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.

Similar to PANAROTTIS (classes 9, 29, 30, 43; no close matches in the search)

No confusingly similar marks of other companies found.

Similar to GRILL & GO (classes 29, 30, 43; searched 2018-02-28 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:

Renewal managementEvery renewal date in your portfolio tracked and paid online.
Competitor watchGet real-time competitor analysis.
Similar-mark watchNew word marks that come close to yours, found as they are published using SimTM.
Expansion into AfricaLowest-cost trademark expansion into Africa - Nigeria, OAPI.

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-certificateUS$240
Each additional class of the same mark, filed at the same timeUS$225
Renewal online, per class (every 10 years from filing)R1,027
≈ US$62.29

Renewal in rand; US$ at R16.49 per US$.

Spur's next five years of renewals

126 of Spur's registered marks reach their ten-year renewal date in 2027–2031. Renewed online with S&Z, that costs about US$7,849 over the five years.

Spur: frequently asked questions

What should Spur consider for its trademarks?
  • Possible gaps: its competitors also protect class 38 (telecoms), class 39 (transport & travel) – 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.
Which of Spur's brands have been protected the longest?
Several of Spur's brands have been protected for generations and are still being filed today: SPUR (first filed 1977, most recently 2022); THE HUSSAR GRILL (first filed 2014, most recently 2022); CASA BELLA (first filed 2015, most recently 2022); THE STORY OF STEAK (first filed 2016, most recently 2016); John Dory's (first filed 2017, most recently 2024). Brands that are refiled over decades – in new classes, new logos or updated packaging – keep their protection current as the business changes.
How many new brands does Spur launch each year?
Counting only brand names it had never filed before, Spur filed about 3.4 new brand names a year over the last five complete years, more than the 2.2 a year in the five years before; its busiest year in the last decade was 2020, with 9. Its closest competitors averaged 2.4 new brand names a year over the same period (KFC 3.6, Wimpy (Pleasure Foods) 2.4, Athanasios Cavallineas A South African … 0.2, Triplesevens Trust 0.2, Nando's 5.8). New brand names are a good indicator of product launches and innovation.
How broadly does Spur protect each brand?
Spur has filed 105 different brand names. 31% of them are protected in a single class, while 1 cover five classes or more – the widest is SPUR, in 7 classes. A brand used beyond its core product (merchandise, services, related goods) needs protection in each of those classes: in South Africa each class is a separate application.
When in the year does Spur usually file trademarks?
Over the last ten years, Spur filed most often in May (28% of its filings), July (21%) and August (14%); the busiest quarter was Q2 (35%). Filing well before a launch matters: rights in South Africa date from the filing date, and examination can take more than a year.
Which classes do Spur's competitors protect that Spur does not?
Several of Spur's closest competitors have filed since 2015 in classes Spur has never used: class 38 (telecoms, 3 of its top five competitors); class 39 (transport & travel, 2 of its top five competitors); class 36 (finance & insurance, 2 of its top five competitors); class 25 (clothing, 2 of its top five competitors). These are not necessarily gaps – they may reflect different products – but they are worth reviewing against the goods and services the business actually offers or plans.
How do retailers' own brands compete with Spur in trademarks?
Retailers' house brands are a growing presence in Spur's market. In class 43 (restaurants & hotels), Shoprite, Ajpg Investments and Woolworths filed 1% of all trademarks in 2020–2024, compared with 0% in 2005–2014. Retailers are often a brand owner's largest customers and, through their own brands, also its competitors.
Why did some of Spur's trademarks take more than five years to register?
Of Spur's trademarks registered in the last two years, 62% had waited more than four years since filing. Almost all of that time is examination: the South African registry has been working through a backlog, so many applications filed in 2020–2022 are only now being accepted. Once a mark is accepted, it is advertised and normally registered within about six months. Prompt responses to the registry's examination reports (office actions) avoid adding further delay.
How long do Spur's South African trademarks last, and when must they be renewed?
A South African trademark registration lasts ten years from the filing date and can be renewed for further ten-year periods indefinitely. Renewal can be paid in the months before the due date, and a six-month grace period applies after it, with a late-payment fee; a mark that is not renewed is removed from the register. A registered mark can also be challenged if it has not been used for five years or more, so use matters as much as renewal.
Do Spur's South African trademarks protect its brands elsewhere in Africa?
No – trademarks are territorial, and a South African registration covers South Africa only. South Africa is not a member of the Madrid system, so international registration is not available to South African applicants. Protection elsewhere in Africa comes from national filings (for example Nigeria), a single OAPI registration covering 17 West and Central African states, or a regional ARIPO application designating member states such as Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. S&Z files in all of these, including Nigeria together with South Africa (SANi).
What can Spur do if someone files a mark similar to one of its brands?
When a new application is advertised for opposition, the owner of an earlier, similar mark can oppose it – in South Africa within three months of the advertisement (this period can be extended). After registration, a conflicting mark can still be challenged through rectification of the register, and use of a confusingly similar mark can be stopped through an infringement action. The key is seeing new applications in time, which is what a similar-mark watch does.
What is SimTM?
SimTM is the similar-trademark technology behind GlobalIPCo's South African trademark watching services, which S&Z uses. It identifies newly published trademarks that sound or look similar to a registered mark, at four levels of sensitivity that progressively widen the marks flagged – from the most relevant to marks of more general interest. It is fast enough to check every trademark journal as it is published, so owners can be alerted to similar marks while they can still be opposed within the three-month opposition period. The word marks listed under “Word marks you may have considered opposing” were found with SimTM's two closest levels and then reviewed, so only marks we consider confusingly similar to Spur's brands are shown.
How accurate is the information on this page?
The figures, charts and videos on this page are based on trademark and trade data obtained by S&Z, and are only as accurate as that data. Records can be incomplete, delayed or contain errors, and linking marks to Spur and its group companies involves judgement. S&Z therefore does not guarantee that all the information is 100% accurate or complete. It is a general overview, not legal advice: please contact S&Z before relying on it for a filing, renewal, opposition or other decision.