The Woolworths veteran will join as CEO-designate in February 2027, beginning an extended leadership transition as Pick n Pay works to restore its supermarket business.
By Black Business Review
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Pick n Pay has selected veteran retail executive Spencer Sonn as its next chief executive, placing an experienced grocery operator at the center of the company’s effort to rebuild profitability and regain competitive strength.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Pick n Pay has selected veteran retail executive Spencer Sonn as its next chief executive, placing Spencer Sonn at the center of the company’s effort to rebuild profitability and regain competitive strength.
Spencer Sonn: A New Era for Pick n Pay
The South African retailer announced Sept. 22 that Spencer Sonn will become CEO-designate effective Feb. 1, 2027. He will initially work alongside current CEO Sean Summers, whose contract runs through May 2028, before assuming leadership of the group. This arrangement gives Spencer Sonn approximately 15 months to participate in the recovery before taking full responsibility.
Spencer Sonn will lead this initiative, focusing on operational excellence.
Under Spencer Sonn’s leadership, the company aims to enhance the overall customer experience.
For Pick n Pay, the appointment connects two critical challenges: repairing the business today and establishing leadership capable of sustaining that recovery tomorrow.
Sonn brings a 26-year career at Woolworths South Africa, including five years as managing director of its food division. He currently serves as Woolworths’ chief customer officer, a position he has held since April 2025. His background places food retailing, customer experience and operating execution at the center of his qualifications.
His international experience includes leading Woolworths New Zealand, a business separate from Woolworths South Africa. That adds exposure to another grocery market and experience managing retail operations beyond his home country.
The strategic logic is clear: Pick n Pay needs leadership that understands how decisions about product selection, pricing, availability and service translate into repeat visits. Sonn’s experience suggests the company is prioritizing those operating fundamentals as it prepares for its next chapter.
Spencer Sonn’s strategic vision will be crucial for implementing these changes effectively.
The assignment comes with substantial pressure.
Pick n Pay’s recovery has required changes across its finances, leadership structures and store portfolio. In its results for the year ended March 1, 2026, the company said three elements of its turnaround were largely complete: recapitalization, re-establishing leadership structures and resetting its store estate. Its remaining priorities focused on restoring competitiveness.
Those changes provide a foundation. The harder test is whether they produce a stronger supermarket business that customers choose consistently.
The financial results illustrate the uneven nature of that recovery. Group turnover increased 3.4% on a comparable 52-week basis, supported by 12.3% growth at Boxer. Pick n Pay turnover declined 1.6%, which the company attributed to store closures, while company-owned Pick n Pay supermarkets recorded like-for-like sales growth of 3.9%.
The distinction matters. Sales across a shrinking store portfolio can fall even as the remaining stores improve. Evaluating the turnaround therefore requires attention to both the quality of the surviving business and its capacity to generate sustainable earnings.
Boxer has also played a central role in the financial restructuring. The discount retailer listed separately on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in November 2024. Pick n Pay subsequently completed a further R4.7 billion Boxer share placement in May 2026, strengthening its balance sheet while retaining control of the business.
Spencer Sonn has publicly signaled his commitment to ensuring a successful transition.
For Sonn, the task will be to help convert that financial flexibility into durable operating improvements.
The extended handover could prove valuable. Working inside the business before becoming CEO gives him time to assess store performance, understand supplier relationships and build credibility with employees. It also creates an opportunity to identify which recovery initiatives deserve acceleration and where adjustments may be necessary.
That is an assessment of the transition’s potential, rather than a guarantee of its outcome. A lengthy succession period still requires clear responsibilities and consistent direction.
Sonn has publicly signaled his willingness to contribute to the existing recovery effort.
Ultimately, Spencer Sonn’s effectiveness will determine the long-term success of Pick n Pay.
“I am looking forward to playing my part in continuing the turnaround and being part of the family,” he said, according to BusinessTech’s reporting on the announcement.
For suppliers, entrepreneurs and other businesses watching major African retailers, the appointment deserves attention because leadership decisions can eventually shape purchasing priorities, distribution relationships and investment. However, the announcement itself does not establish any new supplier program or procurement opportunity.
The immediate question is execution.
Investors and industry observers will have reason to watch whether sales improvements translate into stronger profitability, whether customers respond to changes in the stores and whether the leadership transition preserves momentum.
Sonn’s arrival offers Pick n Pay an experienced successor and time to prepare him for the role. His eventual record will be measured in the everyday performance of the business: dependable stores, returning customers and earnings that demonstrate the recovery can last.
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