The lowest-paid CEO in grocery retail is Marek Masojada, CEO of Boxer, with R5.6 million, while the highest-paid is Sean Summers (pictured), CEO of Pick n Pay, with R24.9 million.
At the top of the corporate ladder, the CEO stands as the face of pressure and power, a single person trusted with steering a company through stormy seas of inflation, consumer hesitancy and relentless competition.
Those at the helm of retail companies are paid handsomely due to several factors, including qualifications, experience and responsibilities. These are the people whose vision keeps customers walking through the doors despite the crushing cost of living.
The lowest-paid CEO in grocery retail is Marek Masojada, CEO of Boxer, with R5.6 million, while the highest-paid is Sean Summers, CEO of Pick n Pay, with R24.9 million.
How do grocery retailers pay?
Those who are on the sales floors, in the stockrooms and behind the registers receive significantly less pay despite them being the people who grind through the chaos, carry out plans and turn PowerPoint strategies into tangible success.
Is it truly fair that those who ensure the vision comes to life earn a fraction of what the visionary earns?
The Companies Amendment Act, signed into law in July 2024, requires public and state-owned companies to disclose the earnings of their top and lowest employees.
The Citizen attempted, with no success, to obtain the breakdown of how much the lowest-paid employee in each of six prominent grocery retailers in South Africa earns, as well as their positions. Enquiries were sent out earlier in the week.
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Lowest-paid CEO in grocery retail
According to Boxer’s financial results for the 53 weeks ended March 2025, its CEO, Marek Masojada, received a basic salary of R5.6 million. His total remuneration was R18.5 million.
The total remuneration includes basic salary, retirement and medical contributions of R1.1 million, benefits of R300 000 and a short-term performance bonus of R11.5 million.
The financial results outlined that Boxer has a total of 31 906 employees. The retailer spends nearly R3.1 billion paying these employees, representing a 19.1% increase from the R2.5 billion spent in the previous financial year.
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Highest paid with no benefits
According to Pick n Pay’s financial results for the 53 weeks ended 2 March 2025, the man responsible for restoring the retailer’s glory, Sean Summers, received a basic salary of R24.9 million.
Unlike other CEOs who receive benefits, retirement contributions and medical benefits, as well as short-term performance bonuses, Summers does not receive these. However, he got a whopping R40.1 million in long-term awards.
Pick n Pay said that employee costs increased by 1.1% to R6.4 billion during the period, up from R6.3 billion in the previous financial year.
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R16 million for Spar CEO
Spar seems to include the remuneration of executives and staff in its annual financial results, which are released towards the end of the year. However, The Citizen reached out, with no success, to the retailer to get the figures for 2025.
According to the retailer’s annual financial statements for the financial year 2024, released on 28 November 2024, Spar’s CEO, Angelo Swartz, got paid a basic salary of R9.5 million.
During the period, he received a performance-related bonus of R4.3 million, retirement funding contributions of R1.1 million, and allowances and other benefits totalling R1 million, costing the retailer R16 million in remuneration.
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Shoprite and Checkers led by one man
Shoprite and Checkers are led by one man under Shoprite Holdings. The Citizen was unable to get the remuneration report of the group for 2025.
According to the financial statement for 2024, the group’s CEO, Pieter Engelbrecht, received a salary of R18 million.
Apart from the salary, he received retirement and medical benefits of R500 000, benefits worth R919 000, a short-term performance bonus worth R17 million and a long-term incentive bonus worth R14.3 million, making his total cost to the company of R52 million.
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Woolies CEO
Woolworths’ annual results for the year ended June 2024 show that the total remuneration for its CEO, Roy Bagattini, in 2024 was R65.29 million.
The breakdown of his remuneration package includes the base salary of R19.39 million and benefits worth R2.5 million. Additionally, he received both short-term and long-term incentives.
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