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Pick n Pay

Pick n Pay asap! delivery vehicle in Cape Town

Pick n Pay (officially Pick n Pay Group Ltd) is a major South African grocery retail chain, headquartered in Cape Town.[2] It operates under two brands – Pick n Pay (which includes its Supermarket, Clothing, Liquor, Build, and Hypermarket stores), and Boxer.[2]

History

Raymond Ackerman purchased the first four Pick n Pay stores in Cape Town in 1967 from Jack Goldin.[6]

In 2024, Pick n Pay reported a 74.4% growth in its omnichannel (digital) sales.[4]

On 27 March 2025, Pick n Pay opened a 50,000 square meter store in Westown Square, Shongweni, KwaZulu-Natal, becoming the anchor tenant of the new R15 billion Westown development, situated between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.[7]

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).[7]

Operations

As of 2024, Pick n Pay operated at 2,279 stores (including Boxer stores) across eight countries on the African continent; South Africa (where the majority of its stores are located), Lesotho, Eswatini, Nigeria Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[4] 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 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. 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.[4]

Pick n Pay also owns 49% of TM Supermarkets, a Zimbabwean retail chain. 45 TM Supermarkets stores operate under the Pick n Pay brand.[4]

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).[4]

Loyalty programs

Pick n Pay operates a free-to-join loyalty program called Smart Shopper. 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.[8]

In 2018, Smart Shopper partnered with South African gas station chain BP to provide customers with extra points when they purchase gas. TymeBank customers who do so earn extra points.[9][10] Other Smart Shopper partner businesses include NetFlorist, Europcar, Planet Fitness, Intercape, and Spur.[11]

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.[8][12]

The FNB partnership allowed Pick n Pay to tap into the existing 6.4 million-strong eBucks membership group.[13]

Corporate social responsibility

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.[4]

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.[4]

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.[4]

The company invests money into sustainable seafood practices, and spent over R53 billion in 2024 on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) businesses.[4]

Wine & Food Festival

In late April 2025, Pick n Pay again hosted its Pick n Pay Wine & Food Festival in Cape Town. 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.[14]

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, in June 2025, and another in Johannesburg in October 2025.[15]

Sponsorships

In March 2025, Pick n Pay signed a 4-year contract as a Tier 1 sponsor of SA Rugby, 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.[16]

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.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Corporate Information". Pick n Pay. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "The Pick n Pay Group". The Pick n Pay Group. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  3. ^ Pick n Pay website, About Us
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Reports, Results, and Presentations - Integrated Annual Report 2024". Pick n Pay. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  5. ^ Hogg, Alec (2023-10-02). "Combative Sean Summers is back at Pick 'n Pay - Gareth Ackerman appoints group's ex-CEO in masterful coup". BizNews.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  6. ^ Cone, Matteo (2013-12-01). "King of the Clicks' empire". Tribute to Jack Goldin. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  7. ^ a b Luke Fraser (27 March 2025). "Big changes for Pick n Pay". BusinessTech. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  8. ^ a b "FNB's eBucks expansion with Pick n Pay set to revolutionise grocery shopping in SA". Bizcommunity.com. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Smart Shopper loyalty programme". BP. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  10. ^ "Smart Shopper Partners - BP". Pick n Pay. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  11. ^ "Smart Shopper Partners". Pick n Pay. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  12. ^ "PnP Rewards Partner". FNB. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  13. ^ Staff Writer (8 April 2025). "Huge win for Pick n Pay". BusinessTech. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  14. ^ GLAMOUR South Africa (24 April 2025). "Sip, savour and celebrate at the Cape Town Pick n Pay Wine and Food Festival". Condé Nast. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  15. ^ "Pick n Pay Wine & Food Festival". Pick n Pay. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Pick n Pay joins SA Rugby family of partners". South African Rugby. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  17. ^ Kara le Roux (23 April 2025). "Pick n Pay pushes for a financial comeback by backing the Boks and partnering with FNB". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 28 April 2025.