Pick n Pay Stores Limited

Pick n Pay Stores Limited is one of South Africa’s largest and longest-established supermarket groups, operating hundreds of stores across South Africa and the wider region. Pick n Pay sells groceries, clothing and general merchandise through its Pick n Pay supermarkets and hypermarkets, franchise stores and online shopping.

Registered name

Pick n Pay Stores Limited

Type

Listed company (grocery retail)

Fields funded

Retail and in-store trade learnerships

Website

pnp.co.za

From four stores in 1967

Pick n Pay’s modern history began in 1967, when Raymond Ackerman bought four small Pick n Pay stores in Cape Town. Ackerman became known for championing consumer rights, and the Ackerman family remained closely involved in the business for decades. Pick n Pay grew into a national retailer listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Boxer and a changing business

Pick n Pay also owns Boxer, a discount chain aimed at lower-income shoppers that grew quickly in townships and rural towns. In recent years Pick n Pay has faced tough competition and losses in its core supermarkets, and in 2024 the group raised new capital and listed Boxer separately on the JSE while keeping a majority stake. For job seekers, that turnaround affects which stores open, convert or close.

Learnerships rather than bursaries

Pick n Pay supports bursaries and learnerships in retail, supply chain and business-related fields, according to a provider record checked in August 2026. The opportunities BursariesAfrica tracks most closely are Pick n Pay’s learnerships, which give unemployed young people paid, SETA-accredited training in retail and in-store trades such as baking. Learners combine online study with practical work in stores and receive a monthly stipend, which was R2 000 in a recent intake.

Applicants are usually South African citizens with Matric who are unemployed, not studying and available for the whole programme. The most recent retail learnership intake BursariesAfrica found closed on 9 August 2026, and Pick n Pay advertises new intakes through the year.

How to research Pick n Pay

Check the careers pages on Pick n Pay’s official website regularly, because intakes open and close quickly. Never pay anyone to apply, and ignore WhatsApp messages promising guaranteed Pick n Pay jobs. Speak to staff at your local store about what learnership work involves, and ask whether bakery, butchery or fresh produce departments take trainees.

Pick n Pay’s website returned no readable text to automated reading when BursariesAfrica checked, so confirm details in a browser.

Compare the retail learnerships at other chains.