Mr Price Group

History

Mr Price’s company history says Cohen and Chiappini met while working for separate clothing retailers in 1979 and developed a shared retail concept. The first Mr Price Factory Store opened in Klerksdorp six years later. ^[1]

The group’s 2021 integrated report records that Cohen and Chiappini acquired control of the group from BOE in 1991, after which the red-cap identity was developed and the retailer continued expanding into additional categories. ^[2]

Group, brands and a dated European acquisition

Mr Price apparel and Miladys are trading divisions, not the whole listed group. ^[4]

NKD’s sale to the group completed on 31 March 2026. It followed the 28 March year-end and was a post-year-end event. ^[3]

Key milestones

1. 1979

   Stewart Cohen and Laurie Chiappini met and began developing the business concept. ^[1]

2. 1985

   The first Mr Price Factory Shop opened in Klerksdorp. ^[1][2]

3. 1991

   The co-founders acquired control of the group from BOE. ^[2]

4. 2026-03-31

   Completed the NKD acquisition after the FY2026 year-end. ^[3]

Founded / co-founded by

• Stewart Cohen — South African retailer who co-founded Mr Price with Laurie Chiappini and opened the first Mr Price Factory Shop in 1985.
• Laurie Chiappini — South African retailer who co-founded Mr Price with Stewart Cohen and opened the first Mr Price Factory Shop in 1985.

Related articles

• The Founders Who Built South African Retail
  Raymond Ackerman founded Pick n Pay; Stewart Cohen and Laurie Chiappini co-founded Mr Price; Whitey Basson built Shoprite after an existing chain was acquired. Their histories show why “founder” is not one universal category.
• How Mr Price Was Built: Cohen, Chiappini and the Road to Europe
  Trace Mr Price’s retail founders, its 1985 factory store, the distinction between brand and listed group, and the completed NKD acquisition in March 2026.

Related institutions

• Mr Price — Fashion-led apparel retail brand and trading division of Mr Price Group, distinct from the wider listed company.
• Miladys — Women’s clothing and related-products retailer within Mr Price Group, with an established history separate from the Mr Price apparel concept.
• NKD Group — European family-clothing and home-textile retail group acquired by Mr Price Group on 31 March 2026.

Sources

1. Mr Price Group, The Mr Price Story: 40th Birthday. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-25. ↩
2. Mr Price Group, Integrated Report 2021, 2021-04-03. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-25. ↩
3. Mr Price Group, Integrated Report 2026: cash model, divisional stores and financial performance. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-14. ↩
4. Mr Price Group, Governance Report 2026: Cohen’s August 2025 retirement and board responsibilities. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-14. ↩