Pick n Pay CEO says something about his main competitor, Shoprite Checkers, which very few other leaders would do

Pick n Pay CEO Sean Summers said that their main competitor in South Africa, Shoprite, is one of the best retail companies in the world.

This is unique, as very few business leaders will credit their main competitor as better than them or acknowledge them as exceptional.

Summers shared his views on Shoprite during an interview with Alex Hogg from Biznews following Pick n Pay’s financial results announcement.

On Monday, 26 October 2026, the retailer released its interim financial results for the 26 weeks ended 30 August 2026.

Turnover increased by 2.4% from R59.0 billion to R60.5 billion, and trading profit increased by 58% from R310 million to R490 million.

The retailer’s headline loss was reduced by 31.9% to R299 million, and Pick n Pay’s company-owned South African supermarkets recorded sales growth of 2.4%.

These improved results came in a tough trading environment where consumers are under pressure in South Africa.

Pick n Pay’s Chief Financial Officer Tina Rookledge said the retail environment in South Africa remained challenging.

“Consumers are under pressure and food inflation is at a 16-year low, meaning retailers had to boost traffic to drive up sales in value terms,” she said.

Summers added that rising non-discretionary expenses, partly caused by the conflict in the Middle East, have hit consumers hard.

“Sharp increases in fuel and crazy electricity price hikes, alongside fixed 5% to 6% annual rent escalations, hurt consumers,” he said.

“Everyday costs leave consumers struggling to make ends meet, forcing many to rely heavily on social grants.”

He estimated that these issues reduced sales growth by about 3%. Every 1% loss in sales growth costs Pick n Pay roughly R140 million to R150 million in income.

Shoprite Checkers is a formidable competitor

It is not only the challenging trading environment which made it difficult for Pick n Pay to return to profitability.

The biggest challenge is to compete against Shoprite, which owns Checkers, which is one of the best retailers in the world.

Under former CEO Whitey Basson and current CEO Pieter Engelbrecht, Shoprite has become Africa’s leading retailer.

Shoprite and Checkers are emerging benchmarks for global tech-driven grocery operations, which have seen them dominate the South African retail market.

The Checkers Sixty60 service, which is now the largest e-Commerce operation in South Africa, is an example of the company’s excellence.

Summers admitted that it is difficult to take on Checkers, especially as Pick n Pay is working on a turnaround while Shoprite is rapidly expanding.

“Our major opposition is Shoprite Checkers. We are up against the best in the world,” Summers told Biznews.

“Pieter Engelbrecht and Whitey Basson have built one of the finest large-scale retail operations in the world.”

“You can look at retailers in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Nobody can hold a candle to them.”

“So, we are up against the world’s best retailer in South Africa, and that’s what we accept.”

This does not mean that they are waving the white flag. Under Summers’ previous stint at Pick n Pay from 1999 to 2007, they were on par with Shoprite.

Summers previously said what irritates him more than anything else is that Basson and Engelbrecht used Pick n Pay’s playbook to become market leaders.

“All the stuff that we have done in the nineties at Pick n Pay, which took us on a stellar growth path, Checkers later did,” he said.

The interventions included refurbishing all the stores, stocking them with fresh food, creating beautiful areas, building house brands, and improving staff morale.

“They used our playbook and threw it back at this. They have done an excellent job. Ten out of ten to them,” he said.