1931-2023 FAREWELL TO A GIANT

Friends and family of Pick n Pay founder Raymond Ackerman recall how he always put people first

- NASIFA SULAIMAN

HE WAS a brilliant entrepreneur who had the uncanny knack of knowing what his customers wanted – sometimes long before they even knew it – and was willing to do whatever it took to give it to them. This attitude allowed Raymond Acker man to build a supermarket kingdom and it’s why news that the 92-year-old Pick n Pay founder had died peacefully at his home in Cape Town triggered such a flood of affectionate tributes.

“Raymond Ackerman was an outstanding business leader and entrepreneur who placed people first,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in reaction to the news. “We mourn with the Ackerman family as they bid farewell to a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather whose name resounded in millions of households around the country.”

It’s been more than a decade since Raymond retired, but his presence is still felt in the aisles of the more than 2 000 stores of the Pick n Pay empire – an empire that stretches across South Africa and seven other African countries.

And that’s because from day one in business, Mr A as he was affectionately known, had such a hands-on role in the business – from worrying about the freshness of bread rolls to constantly reminding staff that “the customer is queen”.

He was a busy man, even after he retired in 2010, but he always made time for his big family consisting of his wife, Wendy, children Gareth, Kathy, Suzanne and Jonathan, 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Speaking to YOU by email shortly before the retail tycoon’s memorial, the family remembers Raymond as “a strong family man, who was kind, generous and funny”.