South African supermarket group Pick n Pay reported a smaller first-half headline loss Monday, October 26, while sharp growth in online sales contrasted with flat turnover at its core retail business.
The group’s headline loss fell to 299 million rand from 439 million rand a year earlier, a 31.9% improvement. Group turnover rose 2.4% to 60.5 billion rand for the 26 weeks ended August 30. Those group figures include the Boxer discount chain.
Within the Pick n Pay segment, which excludes Boxer, turnover was flat at 36.4 billion rand. Its trading loss narrowed to 516 million rand from 621 million rand. Company-owned South African supermarkets recorded like-for-like sales growth of 2.4%, a measure that removes the effect of openings and closures.
Online sales increased 35.4%. The company did not disclose their value in rand, leaving their scale within the business unclear. The fast percentage growth therefore does not establish that online sales have offset weakness elsewhere.
The results show a narrower loss, rather than a completed return to profitability. Pick n Pay is targeting break-even for its namesake business by fiscal 2029.
Sources: Reuters — Pick n Pay interim results, October 26, 2026: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africas-pick-n-pay-narrows-headline-loss-boxer-boosts-performance-2026-10-26/ TechCentral — Pick n Pay online and store sales, October 26, 2026: https://techcentral.co.za/pick-n-pay-online-sales-store-sales/287625/