Pick n Pay names Spencer Sonn future CEO

Pick n Pay has announced that Spencer Sonn will assume the role of CEO-designate on February 1, 2027. This transition will occur under the current CEO, Sean Summers, who will remain in his position until his contract expires in May 2028. The structured handover provides Sonn with time to familiarize himself with leadership responsibilities and collaborate on the retailer’s recovery plan.

Sonn brings over 26 years of experience to the position, having spent most of his career at Woolworths South Africa. During his tenure, he served five years as Managing Director of the Food Division. His international experience includes leadership roles in New Zealand, where he managed a network of franchise and corporate stores alongside a workforce of 22,000 employees—a scale comparable to Pick n Pay’s own operations.

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Summers praised Sonn’s alignment with the company’s core values, describing him as a highly capable executive. “Throughout our engagements, Spencer has expressed enormous admiration for the values and founding principles that Pick n Pay was built on,” Summers said. “We are in the very fortunate position of being able to appoint a highly skilled executive of Spencer’s calibre. In his previous positions he demonstrated his outstanding talent as a leader and was the architect of much of his previous company’s food retailing success. He is an exceptionally worthy leader for Pick n Pay.”

Sonn said: “This is an exciting challenge for me after working across every part of grocery retailing. I am looking forward to working closely with Sean. Pick n Pay is a strong and much-loved brand with enormous potential and motivated loyal people. I am looking forward to playing my part continuing the turnaround and being part of the family.”