The Founders Who Built South African Retail

Pick n Pay: Raymond and Wendy Ackerman

Pick n Pay was founded in 1967 after Raymond Ackerman and Wendy Ackerman acquired four small stores in Cape Town. Pick n Pay describes Raymond as founder and Wendy as a founding executive. ^[1][2]

The retailer listed the following year and remained under Ackerman leadership for decades. ^[3]

Mr Price: Stewart Cohen and Laurie Chiappini

Stewart Cohen and Laurie Chiappini met in 1979 and developed a shared retail concept. In 1985 they opened the first Mr Price Factory Shop in Klerksdorp. ^[4]

The pair acquired control of the group from BOE in 1991. Mr Price’s own reporting continues to identify them as its co-founders. ^[5]

Shoprite: Whitey Basson as builder, not original-store founder

Shoprite’s modern story is different. An existing eight-store chain was acquired in 1979; Whitey Basson then headed the group and led its expansion for 37 years. ^[6][7]

Large acquisitions such as Checkers and OK Bazaars became part of that expansion. Basson’s historical significance comes from building the group, not from creating the first Shoprite stores. ^[8][6]

Three different founder stories

These companies illustrate three distinct patterns: a family founding a new retailer from acquired stores; two co-founders opening a new retail concept; and an executive transforming an acquired chain into a much larger group. ^[1][4][6]

Treating all three patterns as identical would flatten the corporate record. The stronger reference approach is to describe the transaction and leadership sequence directly. ^[2][5][7]

Pick n Pay’s founding partnership and the Boxer relationship

Pick n Pay identifies Raymond and Wendy Ackerman as founders of the modern business in 1967. Boxer has separate Empangeni operating roots in 1977 and joined the group in 2002. Its 2024 listing and later share sales did not erase that separate history. ^[9][10]

The completed 18 May 2026 placement reduced the group’s Boxer holding to 53.1%. The financial statements explicitly record no loss of control. The detailed Pick n Pay and Boxer history separates these corporate holdings from the founders’ personal roles. ^[11]

From acquired stores to a digital delivery system

Checkers’ 1991 acquisition brought 169 existing stores into the group. Sixty60’s test launch followed in November 2019. The later Pingo acquisition added full ownership of the logistics provider, rather than creating the retail chain or the ordering service. ^[12][13][14]

Max Sonnenberg and Woolworths

Woolworths identifies Max Sonnenberg as the founder of its South African retail business. The first Cape Town store opened in 1931. ^[15]

The listed holding company follows a separate timeline. It was incorporated in 1929 and listed in 1997, so these dates describe different events. ^[16]

Mark Lamberti, Makro and Massmart

Massmart’s annual report starts its history in 1990 with six Makro stores. Mark Lamberti’s own account dates his founding action to 1992. ^[17][18]

The group acquired Game in 1998 and listed in 2000. These later events concern company building, not the original founding date. ^[17]

The Clicks record

Jack Goldin founded Clicks in 1968. Bertina Engelbrecht later led the listed group after becoming chief executive in 2022. ^[19][20]

The Foschini and TFG record

George Rosenthal founded Foschini in 1924. Stanley Lewis acquired control in 1958 and built a diversified retail group. ^[21]