How Clicks Was Built: Jack Goldin, UPD and the Pharmacy Strategy
How Jack Goldin founded Clicks in 1968, how UPD enabled its pharmacy strategy, and how the listed group separates ownership from management.
The 2026 results marked a new scale
Clicks Group reported turnover above R50 billion for the first time in the year ended 31 August 2026. [7]
The group opened its 1,000th store and 800th pharmacy during that financial year. [7]
These milestones came from a retail idea that started in central Cape Town in 1968. [1]
The modern group combines stores, pharmacies and a pharmaceutical wholesaler within one listed structure. [4][7]
Each part contributes to the group while keeping a distinct operating purpose. [4]
Jack Goldin opened the first store
Jack Goldin opened the first Clicks store in St George’s Street on 6 August 1968. [1]
The store promised value through the “You Pay Less” position. [1]
Goldin conceived Clicks as a drugstore, which would combine retail products with pharmacy services. [1][3]
South African law then prevented a corporate retailer from owning a pharmacy. [3]
The founder built retail before pharmacy
Clicks opened a Durban store in 1971 and moved beyond the Western Cape. [1]
The business introduced its own-label “You Pay Less” products in 1978. [1]
Clicks Stores Limited listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1979. [1]
Those steps expanded the retail platform while the pharmacy restriction remained. [1][3]
The listed name changed over time
The 1979 listing belonged to Clicks Stores Limited, the operating company named in the group history. [1]
Later restructurings placed the business under New Clicks Holdings. [2]
The holding company adopted the Clicks Group Limited name in 2009. [1]
Therefore, the 1968 brand, the 1979 listing and today’s legal parent are related but distinct facts. [1][4]
Goldin’s control ended before the pharmacy strategy arrived
The group’s earlier reports record that Goldin sold control to Score Food Group. [2]
He later helped build the Priceline pharmacy business in Australia. [2]
The 2001 annual report recorded his death in Australia at age 75. [2]
Later managers completed the South African pharmacy plan that he had first proposed. [3]
UPD added pharmaceutical distribution
United Pharmaceutical Distributors became part of the group in 2003. [1]
UPD supplies Clicks, hospital groups and independent pharmacies. [1]
Its role is pharmaceutical wholesaling and distribution rather than consumer retail. [4]
This distinction matters because UPD and Clicks serve different customers within one group. [1][4]
The law changed and the first pharmacy opened
The corporate pharmacy restriction changed in 2003, according to the group’s published account. [3]
Clicks opened its first pharmacy in Sea Point, Cape Town, in 2004. [1]
The event joined a national retail network with the group’s pharmaceutical supply capability. [1][4]
It realised Goldin’s original drugstore concept 36 years after the first store opened. [3]
Distribution became a strategic asset
UPD commissioned an automated pharmaceutical warehouse in Gauteng in 2007. [1]
The wholesaler later expanded warehouse capacity in Gauteng, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. [1]
The 2025 financial statements describe UPD as the distribution capability behind the healthcare strategy. [4]
The group can therefore coordinate product supply while keeping wholesale and retail operations separately identifiable. [4]
Clicks became the consumer-facing pharmacy network
The Clicks brand operates the stores and retail pharmacies used by consumers. [4]
UPD distributes medicines and related products to group and external customers. [1][4]
The two businesses share group ownership but do not perform the same legal or commercial function. [4]
A group-level turnover figure should not be treated as revenue for the Clicks brand alone. [4][7]
ClubCard added a customer data and rewards layer
Clicks launched ClubCard in 1995, before the group opened its first retail pharmacy. [1]
The programme had 13.1 million active members in the 2026 financial year. [7]
Members received R976 million in cashback rewards during that year. [7]
The programme supports retail relationships, while UPD continues to perform the separate pharmaceutical distribution role. [4][7]
Bertina Engelbrecht moved from human resources to chief executive
Bertina Engelbrecht joined the group as human resources director in 2006. [6]
She joined the board in 2008 and gained responsibility for strategic stakeholder engagement in 2020. [6]
Her appointment as chief executive took effect in January 2022. [6]
The 2026 results continued to identify her as Clicks Group chief executive. [7]
Her earlier career crossed law, industry and transport
Engelbrecht holds B Proc and LLM degrees and is an admitted attorney. [6]
She previously worked at Shell SA Energy and held a regional role for Shell Oil Products Africa. [6]
Her earlier experience included Sea Harvest, her own consultancy and eight years at Transnet. [6]
This record describes management experience and does not imply founder status or controlling ownership. [6][5]
Share ownership and management remain separate
Clicks Group’s 2025 statements reported 99.9% of its shares as publicly held. [4]
The board reported no controlling shareholder or controlling shareholder group. [5]
It also reported no shareholder representation on the board. [5]
Engelbrecht manages the group under board authority rather than through a disclosed controlling equity stake. [5][6]
Managed shares are not the same as beneficial ownership
The Public Investment Corporation managed 19.1% of issued shares at 31 August 2025. [4]
The same statements listed the Government Employees Pension Fund with a 20.8% beneficial interest. [4]
These figures answer different questions about investment management and beneficial ownership. [4]
They should not be converted into a claim that one executive personally owns or controls the group. [4][5]
The board and chief executive have different powers
Shareholders elect directors, and the board approves strategy and oversees performance. [5]
The chief executive leads ongoing group management and executes the approved strategy. [5]
The chair and chief executive roles are formally separate. [5]
That structure limits the authority of any single individual. [5]
The 2026 milestone did not change the historical chain
Group turnover rose 5.4% to R50.4 billion in the 2026 financial year. [7]
UPD reported 9.2% turnover growth in the same period. [7]
The results show the present scale of businesses assembled across several decades. [1][7]
They do not make the listed parent, retail brand and pharmaceutical wholesaler one legal entity. [4]
The key dates explain the operating model
The first store opened in 1968, and the original operating company listed in 1979. [1]
UPD joined the group in 2003, before the first Clicks pharmacy opened in 2004. [1]
Engelbrecht became chief executive in 2022. [6]
The group passed R50 billion in annual turnover in 2026. [7]
What the Clicks record shows
Goldin supplied the retail concept, value promise and original drugstore ambition. [1][3]
Later owners and managers preserved the brand while changing its corporate structure. [2][1]
UPD supplied wholesale distribution before corporate pharmacy ownership became practical for Clicks. [1][3]
The resulting group links retail reach, pharmacy services and medicine distribution without erasing their separate roles. [4]
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Clicks? Jack Goldin opened the first store in Cape Town on 6 August 1968. [1]
Is Clicks Group the same as the Clicks brand? No. The listed group owns the consumer retail business and other operations. [4]
What is UPD? It is the group’s pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor. [1][4]
When did Clicks open a pharmacy? The first pharmacy opened in Sea Point in 2004. [1]
Who leads Clicks Group? Bertina Engelbrecht was chief executive at the October 2026 results date. [7]
Does one shareholder control Clicks Group? The 2025 governance report said no controlling shareholder or group existed. [5]
Sources
- Clicks Group Limited, History: Fifty years of firsts. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-05. ↩
- New Clicks Holdings Limited, Annual Report 2001, 2001. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-05. ↩
- Clicks Group Limited, Integrated Annual Report 2018: Chief executive’s report, 2018. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-05. ↩
- Clicks Group Limited, Annual financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2025, 2025-11-06. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-05. ↩
- Clicks Group Limited, Corporate governance report 2025, 2025. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-05. ↩
- Clicks Group Limited, Bertina Engelbrecht, 2026. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-05. ↩
- Clicks Group Limited, Clicks Group turnover exceeds R50 billion for the first time as retail footprint expands, 2026-10-22. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-05. ↩