HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Pick n Pay (officially Pick n Pay Group Ltd) is a major
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
n
grocery A grocery store (American English, AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop (British English, BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food Product (business), products, which may be Fresh food, fresh or Food p ...
retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
chain, headquartered in
Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
. It operates both corporate and franchised stores under two brands – Pick n Pay (which includes its Supermarket, Clothing, Liquor, Build, and Hypermarket stores), and Boxer.


History

Pick n Pay was founded by Raymond Ackerman, son of Gus Ackerman, who founded the
Ackermans Ackermans is a South African chain of clothing retail stores. Founded in 1916 in Wynberg, Cape Town, Ackermans has over 700 stores across Southern Africa, including in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, eSwatini and Zambia, and is headquartered in Kui ...
clothing retail chain in South Africa, in 1916. Raymond joined Ackermans in 1951 as a trainee manager. In the early 1950s, Ackermans was sold to rival department store chain Greatermans. When Greatermans branched into food retailing, Ackerman recognised the potential for a new type of shopping experience - self-service supermarkets. He encouraged Greatermans to start its own supermarket chain, of which Ackerman would become General Manager. The first store was opened in Mayfair, Johannesburg. The new chain,
Checkers Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), is a group of Abstract strategy game, strategy board games for two players which involve forward movements of uniform game ...
, still exists in South Africa, as a major competitor to Pick n Pay. In 1966, after nine years of running Checkers and taking the number of stores from 4 to 85, Raymond purchased the first four Pick n Pay stores in
Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
from Jack Goldin. In 1975, Pick n Pay opened its first Hypermarket - a new retail concept which combined department store and supermarket operations under one roof. Pick n Pay launched its first franchised store in 1993, in Westville,
KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
. Its first franchised store in the
Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...
was opened in
Durbanville Durbanville, previously called Pampoenkraal, is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, part of the greater City of Cape Town, Cape Town metropolitan area. It is a semi-rural residential suburb on the north-eastern outskirts of the ...
in 1994. In 1997, the company held its first franchise conference, and in 2003, opened its first franchised Pick n Pay Clothing store. In 2010, Raymond Ackerman resigned as Pick n Pay Chairman. His son, Gareth Ackerman, took over the position. Pick n Pay acquired a majority stake in the Score supermarket group in 1994. In 2002 the group acquired Boxer Superstores. All of the Score supermarkets have since been converted into Pick n Pay or Boxer franchises. In 2024, Pick n Pay reported a 74.4% growth in its omnichannel (digital) sales. On 27 March 2025, Pick n Pay opened a 50,000 square meter store in Westown Square, Shongweni,
KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
, becoming the anchor tenant of the new R15 billion Westown development, situated between
Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...
and
Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...
. The new store indicated a number of changes for the retailer, including catering to high-LSM (high income-earning) consumers with upmarket offerings, and revisions to its standard format, including an expanded fresh produce section, an improved product range, a stronger focus on convenience, improved in-store bakery, a sushi bar, and a sit-down coffee bar (The Roasty). In May 2025, Pick n Pay announced that former
RMB The renminbi ( ; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB), also known as the Chinese yuan, is the official currency of the People's Republic of China. The renminbi is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of Chin ...
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
and existing Pick n Pay Lead Independent Director James Formby would step into the role of
Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
when Gareth Ackerman retires, effective from the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting on 5 August 2025.


Operations

As of 2024, Pick n Pay operated at 2,279 stores (including Boxer stores) across eight countries on the
African continent Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
;
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
(where the majority of its stores are located),
Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
,
Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...
,
Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...
,
Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
, and
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
. The split was as follows: * 1,155 Pick n Pay Supermarkets (standard size and small stores, with an average size of 2,900 sqm) * 21 Pick n Pay Hypermarkets (large stores, with an average size of around 13,000 sqm) * 385 Pick n Pay Clothing stores (clothing-only stores, with an average size of 450 sqm) * 687 Pick n Pay Liquor stores (small format alcohol retail outlets, with an average size of 170 sqm) * 31 Pick n Pay Build stores The company operates 145
forecourt Forecourt may refer to: * a courtyard at the front of a building * in racket sports, the front part of the court * the area in a filling station containing the fuel pumps * chamber tomb forecourt This article describes several characteristic arch ...
stores, with an average size of 300 sqm, under its Pick n Pay Express banner. These 24-hour stores are situated at BP gas stations, in a partnership aimed at offering customers convenience in high-traffic areas. 2,090 of the company's stores are located in South Africa, while the remaining 189 are throughout the remaining countries of operation. 1,484 stores were corporate-owned and 795 were franchised. The company is a member of the Franchise Association of South Africa. Pick n Pay employs 90,000 individuals, 61,000 of whom work at Pick n Pay stores, and 29,000 of whom work at Boxer stores. Pick n Pay also owns 49% of TM Supermarkets, a Zimbabwean retail chain. 45 TM Supermarkets stores operate under the Pick n Pay brand. Pick n Pay supermarkets offer between 8,000 and 18,000 products. The company uses a localized network of distribution centers. The main one is the Eastport Distribution Centre.


Franchises

Pick n Pay allows for franchised supermarkets between 1,500 and 2,200 square meters, and franchised liquor stores between 150 and 250 square meters. Franchisees are provided with e-learning, marketing, advertising, and operational assistance by Pick n Pay corporate. Some franchises operate under the QualiSave banner, which serves customers in low to middle income communities. In 2003, Pick n Pay franchises provided employment to over 23,000 individuals.


Online shopping

The group's omnichannel strategy offers customers groceries via a number of digital channels. Pick n Pay Online caters for larger orders, and facilitates Click and Collect, and home delivery options. Pick n Pay asap! offers select items with a 1-hour delivery window. Pick n Pay on Mr D offers customers access to groceries through the Mr D platform (a major South African takeout app that competes directly with
Uber Eats Uber Eats is an online food ordering and delivery platform launched by the company Uber in 2014. It is operational in over 6,000 cities in 45 countries as of 2021. History Uber Eats' parent company Uber was founded in 2009 by Garrett ...
).


Loyalty programs

Pick n Pay operates a free-to-join loyalty program called Smart Shopper, which was launched in 2011. Customers are able to get a card from a Pick n Pay store, onto which cash back is loaded if they swipe at checkout, or enter the number on their online shopping profiles. This cash can be used when making future purchases. The program had 1.4 million members, as of March 2025. The retailer also offers consumers the ability to join Pick n Pay Clubs, whereby they can earn extra Smart Shopper points, and receive additional discounts. These include the Coffee, Pets, Wine, Baby, and Live Well Clubs. In 2018, Smart Shopper partnered with South African gas station chain BP to provide customers with extra points when they purchase gas.
TymeBank TymeBank is a South African digital bank aimed at the lower income market. Headquartered in Rosebank, Johannesburg, TymeBank does not have any physical bank branches and relies on an Android banking App, and Internet Banking site and a partners ...
customers who do so earn extra points. Other Smart Shopper partner businesses include NetFlorist,
Europcar Europcar Mobility Group is a French car rental company founded in 1949 in Paris. The head office of the holding company, Europcar Group S.A., is in the business park of Val Saint-Quentin at Voisins-le-Bretonneux (Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines), Fr ...
, Planet Fitness, Intercape, and
Spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...
. In November 2024, Pick n Pay partnered with major South African bank, FNB, to enable FNB customers to earn eBucks (FNB's loyalty points) at Pick n Pay stores. As part of this roll-out, FNB began installing banking kiosks in Pick n Pay stores across South Africa, aiming to reach 100 kiosks by June 2026. The FNB partnership allowed Pick n Pay to tap into the existing 6.4 million-strong eBucks membership group.


Corporate social responsibility

In 1997, with the celebration of 30 years since the foundation of Pick n Pay, the company started the Pick n Pay Foundation, with R30 million set aside to create a fund for philanthropic purposes. Pick n Pay supports 3,280
schools A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of ...
through its Pick n Pay School Club initiative. The company is also a founding member of the Consumer Goods Council Voluntary Food Waste Agreement, and has a Net Zero 2050 target. In 2018, Pick n Pay, in partnership with reverse vending machine (RVM) provider Imagined Earth, rolled out machines in its stores wherein customers could place recyclables. These items were then sorted off-site, and sent to the correct recycling centers. The machines, which accept any kind of plastic, glass, and tin product, use AI to analyze items that consumers drop off. Recyclable products are identified by barcode and shape, and reward users via the Imagined Earth mobile app, in which they can earn Pick n Pay Smart Shopper loyalty points by linking their cards. In November 2024, the recycling initiative was expanded, in partnership with Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa, and it was reported that the project had already facilitated the recycling of 480,000 items, and paid over R40,000 to customers as rewards. In 2020, as part of its initiative to reduce unnecessary waste, Pick n Pay began offering digital receipts to its Smart Shopper customers (those with a free loyalty card). Customers can have receipts emailed to them, instead of taking a physical receipt in the store. Receipts can also be accessed in the Pick n Pay mobile app for 90 days after purchases are made. The company spent over R29 million in 2024 Corporate Social Investment and Socio-economic Development expenses, donated 901 tonnes of food to FoodForward SA, and distributed around R13 million worth of goods on behalf of Feed The Nation. 99% of Pick n Pay and Boxer stores' employees, and 80% of their management employees, are deemed to be Historically Disadvantaged South Africans. 64% of the company's employees are women. The company invests money into sustainable seafood practices, and spent over R53 billion in 2024 on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (
BBBEE Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is a policy of the South African government which aims to facilitate broader participation in the economy by black people. A form of affirmative action, it is intended especially to redress the inequalities cre ...
) businesses. Pick n Pay Liquor partnered with Ocean Plastic Technologies in 2025, to create wine box holder stands for 100 of its stores, using 4,420kgs of reclaimed and juice packaging. The stands hold free, empty wine boxes, for customers to transport up to 6 bottles of wine, instead of using plastic bags. Also in 2025, Pick n Pay partnered with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) on a campaign that educates, and raises awareness and funds, for the protection of
African penguins The African penguin (''Spheniscus demersus''), also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. It is the only penguin found in the Old World. Like all penguins, it is flightless, ...
.


Wine & Food Festival

In late April 2025, Pick n Pay again hosted its ''Pick n Pay Wine & Food Festival'' in
Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
. Taking place at the Claremont Cricket Club in 2025, it is an annual celebration of the Cape’s food and wines. In 2025, over 50 of South Africa's top wine estates showcased their wines at the festival, during which Pick n Pay hosted tasting room sessions. The Pick n Pay Wine Shop ensured that it stocked the festival's featured wines. The festival is also host to The Pick n Pay Fresh Food Market for food, Pick n Pay Burger & Pizza Trucks, and Pick n Pay Picnic Bags. The company will host a similar festival in
Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...
, in June 2025, and another in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
in October 2025.


Sponsorships

In March 2025, Pick n Pay signed a 4-year contract as a Tier 1 sponsor of
SA Rugby The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board ...
, with its logo being placed on the rear of the national team's jerseys. The company also acquired the naming rights to the national club championship - the Gold Cup - and a new women’s rugby competition, the details of which are to be announced later in 2025. One of Pick n Pay's major corporate loyalty partners, FNB, is SA Rugby's front-of-jersey sponsor, however the SA Rugby deals were separate to those between Pick n Pay and FNB, and the co-sponsorship is merely coincidental. The two companies are investing a combined R220 million in SA Rugby.


References


External links


Pick n Paywww.picknpayinvestor.co.za
{{portalbar, Companies, Supermarkets Retail companies established in 1967 Publicly traded companies Food retailers Companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Companies based in Cape Town Retail companies of South Africa 1967 establishments in South Africa South African brands