Pick n Pay — BrandWiki

Pick n Pay

Overview

Pick n Pay Group Ltd

type	Public
traded as	jse: PIK
isin	ZAE000005443‡R1R‡
foundation	1967‡R2R‡
founder	Raymond Ackerman
location	Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa‡R1R‡
area served	7 countries in Africa‡R3R‡
key people	Gareth Ackerman (Non-executive Chairman) Sean Summers (CEO)‡R4R‡ Lerena Olivier (CFO)
industry	Retail FMCG‡R5R‡
products	Groceries
revenue	R122.1 billion (2025) ‡R3R‡
operating income	R1.75 billion (2025) ‡R3R‡
net income	- R651 million (2025) ‡R3R‡
assets	R46.8 billion (2025) ‡R3R‡
equity	R10.9 billion (2025) ‡R3R‡
locations	2,269 (1,498 company-owned and 697 franchised) (2025) ‡R3R‡
num employees	90,000 (61,000 at Pick n Pay and 29,000 at Boxer) (2024)
divisions	Pick n Pay Pick n Pay Clothing Pick n Pay asap! Boxer TM Supermarkets (49% shareholding)
homepage	https://pnp.co.za

Pick n Pay (officially Pick n Pay Group Ltd) is a major South African retail chain, headquartered in Cape Town.[5] Founded in 1967, the company operates around 2,300 stores (both corporate and franchised), and is listed on the JSE Limited.

The group has numerous divisions with their own standalone store formats, including Pick n Pay supermarkets, Pick n Pay Clothing, Liquor Store, Hypermarket, Market, and Express. The group also owns discount retail brand Boxer, which operates supermarkets as well as Liquor, Punch, and Build formats.[6]

As of 2024, Pick n Pay has operations across 7 African countries and employs around 90,000 individuals.

History

Pick n Pay was founded by Raymond Ackerman, son of Gus Ackerman, who founded the Ackermans 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.[7]

Operations

As of 2025, Pick n Pay operated at 2,269 stores (including Boxer stores) across seven countries on the African continent; South Africa (where the majority of its stores are located), Lesotho, Eswatini, Nigeria, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These included:[3]

Also in 2025, the company operated 188 forecourt 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.[3]

2,080 of the company's total stores in 2025 were located in South Africa, while the remaining 189 were situated throughout the remaining six countries of operation.

1,498 stores were corporate-owned and 697 were franchised. The company is a member of the Franchise Association of South Africa.[14] 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.[14]

The company uses a localized network of distribution centers, with the main one being the Eastport Distribution Centre.[14]

1,125 Pick n Pay, Boxer, and TM 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)
415 Pick n Pay Clothing stores (clothing-only stores, with an average size of 450 sqm)
678 Pick n Pay and Boxer Liquor stores (small format alcohol retail outlets, with an average size of 170 sqm)
30 Boxer Build stores

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.[14]

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.[15]

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).[16]

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.[7]

Pick n Pay supports 3,280 schools 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.[16]

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.[24]

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.[24]

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.[25]

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.[16]

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.[16]

The company invests money into sustainable seafood practices, and spent over R53 billion in 2024 on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) businesses.[16]

Pick n Pay Liquor partnered with Ocean Plastic Technologies in 2025, to create wine box holder stands for 100 of its stores, using 4,420 kg 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.[26]

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.[27]