Pieter Engelbrecht, Chief Executive Officer

Pieter Engelbrecht, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shoprite Holdings

Since his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in January 2017, Pieter Engelbrecht has been a driving force behind the strategic thinking and effective execution that has led to the Shoprite Group becoming Africa’s most successful food retailer and low-price leader, and South Africa’s largest private sector employer, with the business doubling in size during his tenure. 

Under his leadership, the Group has achieved industry-leading growth in sales, profits and customer reach, and consistently delivered market-share gains in a trading environment that has faced unprecedented challenges, including electricity loadshedding and water shortages, the global Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and sustained pressure on consumer disposable income.  

Leading innovation

Engelbrecht’s leadership is characterised by his drive to deliver on the Group's vision of being Africa's most profitable omnichannel retailer by pioneering access to the most affordable goods and services through a relentless focus on innovation. This has included investing substantially in digital technologies and advanced analytics, developing the Group’s market-leading Sixty60 delivery service and Xtra Savings rewards programme, launching and growing the Group’s community-based Usave stores, and successfully repositioning Checkers in the fresh and convenience space, with each of these innovations disrupting aspects of South Africa’s highly competitive food retail market.

Clear growth strategy

Engelbrecht and his team have developed and are executing a clear growth strategy aimed at maintaining the Group’s lead in discount retailing and positioning it as Africa's most profitable omnichannel retailer, supported by its significant investments in digital technologies, unrivalled access to consumption data, superior supply chain and distribution network, and world-class operating efficiencies. Ensuring effective execution of this strategy is underpinned by his conviction that this requires a collaborative effort, facilitated by a strong culture of teamwork and accountability, with every employee contributing to delivering on the Group’s vision, understanding that their fundamental role is to consistently provide value to customers. 

Purpose-led  

Throughout his tenure, Engelbrecht has placed a strong personal priority on leveraging the Group’s scale, operating efficiencies and supply chain network to make a meaningful contribution to South Africa’s profound social challenges relating to inequality, joblessness and food security. In seeking to deliver on the Group’s purpose – to uplift lives every day by pioneering access to the most affordable goods and services, creating economic opportunity and protecting our planet – he has actively promoted programmes in the business aimed at alleviating hunger and narrowing the inequality gap through job creation, job security, skills development and supporting emerging small businesses.  He was instrumental in launching Shoprite’s R5 deli meals, R5 sanitary pads, essential bulk combos for R99, R1 Usave biscuits and for subsidising the more than half-a-million loaves of R5 (600g) bread sold every week, providing meaningful nutritional support to millions of South Africans.

Career overview

A chartered accountant, Engelbrecht has an Honours in Accounting Science from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from Stellenbosch University. He gained experience in the auditing and corporate finance divisions of PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1993 to 1995 and was the accounting and operations manager at Harwill Industries before joining the Shoprite Group in April 1997.   

Engelbrecht spent 10 years leading the Group’s executive projects office, establishing new brands and building many of these into multi-billion rand businesses. He launched the Money Market financial service counter, Usave and LiquorShop, and led the acquisitions of Computicket and Transpharm Pharmaceutical Wholesalers.  

He was appointed to the Board of Shoprite Checkers in 2003 as Alternate Director of Shoprite Holdings and as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Shoprite Checkers in 2005. As COO, Engelbrecht strived to drive down costs, played a pivotal role in guiding the Group’s expansion and was instrumental in Shoprite attaining its position as the number one retailer in Africa. He was appointed CEO on 1 January 2017.    

Under Engelbrecht’s leadership the Group has significantly grown its store base, expanded into adjacent categories and consistently delivered market share growth across all income categories, reflecting the impact of his obsession with customer affordability, innovation and expert execution in delivering on the Group’s ambition to be Africa's most profitable omnichannel retailer.