Pieter Engelbrecht

Engelbrecht has been a driving force behind the strategic thinking and decisiveness that characterises the Group’s actions and has led it to become Africa’s largest food retailer, South Africa’s largest private sector employer, and boasting South Africa’s most valuable retail brand, Shoprite, the low price leader on the continent.

He and his team are focused on implementing the Group’s growth strategy throughout Africa to maintain their lead in discount retail for the one billion customers they serve each year.

His key priority is serving customers through a relentless focus on lowering prices through an optimised supply chain and world class operating efficiencies.

His strategy is backed up by his conviction that “together we are stronger”, implementing of a culture of teamwork and accountability, where every single employee contributes to taking the Shoprite vision forward and understands their role is serving customers.

Pieter is passionate about change and has positioned the group to be a business with heart – where making profit goes hand in hand with a responsibility to the communities in which it operates.

Engelbrecht is doubling down on the Group’s efforts to alleviate hunger on the continent  and narrowing the inequality gap through job creation, job security, skills development, and nurturing small businesses.

He is committed to innovating and utilising the group’s enormous scale to deliver the most affordable retail experience for the Group’s customers.

Engelbrecht, a Chartered Accountant, has an Honours in Accounting Science from UNISA and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from Stellenbosch University.

He gained experience in the auditing and corporate finance divisions of accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1993 to 1995 and was the accounting and operations manager at Harwill Industries until his Shoprite career commenced on 1 April 1997.