In 1966, at the age of 35, Raymond Ackerman was fired from his job as retail managing director and this led him to buy three Pick n Pay stores from Jack Goldin. His philosophy has always been to put the customer first, something he learnt from his university lecturer, Professor WH Hutt. With this attitude, Pick n Pay stores have grown to hundreds of stores countrywide, in cities such as Johannesburg, Durban, Roodepoort, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Rustenburg.
Pick n Pay wants to uplift their community and have many initiatives in place to help those around them.
The Ackerman Pick n Pay Foundation founded in 1997, support various charities and take part in philanthropic initiatives.
- The foundation helps local communities to establish gardens in both rural and urban areas. These gardens serve as a source of fresh food for the community, and also income, as the leftover produce can be sold. The foundation has established 376 food gardens thus far, feeding almost 4000 families. Additionally, a Water Resilience Program was established in partnership with Siyazisiza Trust, which supports smaller agricultural communities with improved access to water and also teach small-scale farmers on water conservation.
- The Pick n Pay School Club provides basic educational resources, such as books, posters, and recognition stickers to more than 300 schools. They also have a Kids in Parks programme, which gives underprivileged children the opportunity to visit a national park and learn more about the country’s heritage
Pick n Pay stores fall under the Groceries category, along with other stores such as 1UP Cash & Carry, Big Save, Bluff Meat Supply, Boxer, Cambridge Foods, Check Save, Check Star, Checkers, Devland and Diamond Discount Liquors. Their trading hours are from 8h00 to 20h00 from Mondays to Sundays.
For more information, visit their website pnp.co.za.