Pick n Pay names Spencer Sonn as next CEO — Daily Maverick
In South Africa, supermarket chain Pick n Pay has named Spencer Sonn as the group’s next chief executive officer. He is set to replace Sean Summers after the company releases its annual results, Daily Maverick reports.
Summers returned as head of Pick n Pay in 2023, when the company was going through a period of uncertainty. According to him, operational changes must first be made to restore profitability, since profit is the result of such actions rather than their prerequisite.
Store upgrades
The company is focusing on modernising existing stores rather than rapidly opening new ones. Summers explained this by the slower pace of development in the country and noted that competitors had been actively expanding their networks based on decisions made several years ago.
At the same time, Pick n Pay has closed 19 stores since the start of the financial year. According to Summers, the large existing network makes it possible to fulfil online orders without separate dark stores — warehouses intended solely for delivery. The company can repurpose part of the space in existing stores to pick such orders.
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Online sales and finances
In the first half of the 2027 financial year, Pick n Pay’s omnichannel turnover rose by 35.4% year on year. After a dedicated Pick n Pay Clothing section was launched in the asap! app in March 2026, total online sales through the app and website increased by 137% compared with the previous year.
The retailer offers the paid Smart Shopper Pro subscription for 99 rand per month, which includes unlimited free asap! deliveries. In the second half of the 2027 financial year, the company plans to introduce hybrid online-order picking and assortment-planning tools in stores.
Despite having funds on its balance sheet, Pick n Pay’s core supermarket business still has a trading loss of 516 million rand. At the same time, costs of maintaining retail space decreased by 2.6% due to revised lease terms and lower insurance expenses.
