Pick n Pay, a retail grocery chain business, has named Woolworths executive Spencer Sonn as CEO-designate effective 1 February 2027, setting in motion a planned handover from current CEO Sean Summers, who will remain in charge until his contract expires in May 2028.
Sonn will work alongside Summers during the intervening period, giving him time to transition into the role while collaborating on the turnaround plan aimed at restoring profitability and market share at the core Pick n Pay supermarket business.
“We are in the very fortunate position of being able to appoint a highly skilled executive of Spencer’s calibre,” Summers said. “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.”
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Sonn said the move was an exciting challenge after working across every part of grocery retailing and pointed to Pick n Pay’s strong brand and loyal customer base as reasons for taking on the role.
Sonn spent 26 years at Woolworths South Africa, including five years as managing director of its Food Division from 2015 to 2021. He then moved to New Zealand, where he spent four years as managing director of Woolworths New Zealand, a retailer owned by Australia’s Woolworths Group and unrelated to the South African company of the same name.
He returned to Woolworths South Africa as chief customer officer before departing at the end of June following an organisational reset under new Woolworths Group CEO Sam Ngumeni. Ngumeni previously ran the same food division Sonn once led.
The appointment sits alongside Pick n Pay’s existing incentive structure for Summers. He was awarded four million performance-based shares in 2024, worth around R100 million ($6.16M) at the time, tied to turnaround milestones.
Two million vested in October 2025 after the company implemented a new leadership and operating structure, worth R56.6 million ($3.48M) at vesting, but Summers forfeited one million shares this year after the group pushed back its break-even target to the 2029 financial year. The remaining tranche, tied to executing a CEO succession plan, was originally set to vest in February 2027.
That vesting date has since been extended to February 2028 to align with Summers’ revised retirement timeline, and Pick n Pay has approved a new share award to offset the forfeited portion.
The succession news comes as Pick n Pay’s turnaround shows uneven progress. The group narrowed its headline loss in its most recent results, helped by strong performance at Boxer, though the core Pick n Pay business has yet to return to sustained profitability.
Last updated: September 22, 2026
