Pick n Pay has appointed Woolworths Chief Customer Officer, Spencer Sonn, as its CEO-designate, who will take over from the company’s current CEO Sean Summers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sonn will begin as CEO-designate in February 2027, and the company said that he and Summers would work closely together to ensure a smooth transition in leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summers’ contract with Pick n Pay is set to expire in May 2028, at which point Sonn will succeed him as the company’s CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Spencer will work closely with current Chief Executive Officer, Sean Summers, as part of a planned and orderly leadership transition that will support continuity and the continued execution of the Group’s strategy,” Pick n Pay said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summers was appointed CEO of Pick n Pay in 2023, after initially serving in the position from 1999 to 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His 2023 appointment came as the company was working on a turnaround strategy to address its technical insolvency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pick n Pay has struggled in recent years to turn a profit, with the group currently in discussions about store closures and potential retrenchments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summers’ contract with Pick n Pay expires in May 2028, and the CEO said that finding a suitable replacement was important for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Throughout our engagements, Spencer has expressed enormous admiration for the values and founding principles that Pick n Pay was built on,” Summers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sonn has served in several executive positions, including managing director of Woolworths’ food division. He is currently Woolworths’ Chief Customer Officer, a position he has held since April 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Spencer is a seasoned and respected retail leader having had a 26-year career at Woolworths South Africa, with five years as Managing Director of the Food Division, which has been at the heart of their success and growth,” Pick n Pay said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company said that Sonn’s appointment in February 2027 will provide “ample time for Sonn to settle into executive leadership and work with Summers on the company\u2019s turnaround.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company also highlighted Sonn’s experience in management positions abroad, which it said was “particularly valuable.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sonn said that the new appointment was an exciting opportunity for him and that he was “looking forward to working closely with Sean.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I am looking forward to playing my part in continuing the turnaround and being part of the family,” he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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