World Food Day Memorandum
Attention:
Mr Pieter Engelbrecht, CEO;
Ms Wendy Lucas-Bull, Independent Chairperson of Shoprite Holdings
Dear Shoprite Checkers Executives,
Shoprite Checkers is the largest and most profitable retail food store in South Africa. Through subsidiaries such as USave, it dominates the market share among low‑ and no‑income earners. Its profit margins in South Africa are far higher than the global average for food retailers, and double those in other African countries. Lower profits would mean lower food prices, yet Shoprite continues to prioritise excessive profit over affordability.
Key Grievances
Excessive Profits: Shoprite makes approximately R20 million profit per day (R7.5 billion per annum). In 2025, it paid R3.9 billion in dividends to shareholders while millions of South Africans went hungry.
Unjust Food Prices: Much of the income used by unemployed and low‑paid workers to buy staple food comes from social grants. These grants should not be eroded by inflated food prices. Shoprite’s practices obstruct the constitutional right to sufficient food and basic nutrition.
CEO Pay vs Worker Wages: CEO Pieter Engelbrecht earns an estimated R87 million per annum (R227,000 per day), while cashiers earn R4,300 per month – 21% below the industry average. Shoprite’s internal minimum wage is the lowest among JSE Top 40 companies.
Extreme Pay Gap: Shoprite’s CEO earns 1,214 times what the lowest‑paid worker earns, compared to an already shocking retail sector average of 597 times.
Corporate Social Investment Claims: Shoprite claims its CSI programmes address hunger. The Union Against Hunger disagrees – these initiatives are inadequate and fail to confront structural profiteering.
Broken Engagement Promises: In 2025, Shoprite cancelled a meeting with the UAH because SAFTU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi was included in our delegation. This undermines genuine dialogue.
Lack of Transparency: Shoprite refuses to publish profit margins on essential food items, including its “Ten Best Buys,” preventing consumers from seeing the real cost of food.
Our Demands
- Immediate reduction of profit margins on essential food items to make food affordable – especially for the 10 best buys (rice, long-life milk, soya, eggs, tinned fish, dried beans, peanut butter, fortified maize meal, amasi, and lentils).
- Transparency in publishing profit margins on staple goods.
- A living wage for Shoprite workers, aligned with industry standards.
- Commitment to genuine engagement with civil society, including trade unions.
- Reallocation of excessive executive compensation towards fair wages and lower food prices.
We are targeting Shoprite – the worst profiteer and employer in the retail food market – we are also sending a signal to all food retailers: #FoodPricesMustFall. #HungerIsACrime. Shoprite misleads the public with slogans such as “Lower Prices You Can Trust” and “We’ve Kept Our Low-Price Promise.” The Union Against Hunger insists: Keep your promise, Shoprite. Put lives and health before excessive profits.
We submit this memorandum that is supported by over 25,000 signatures.
We ask you to confirm that you’ll respond in writing to the above demands before the 16 October 2026 (World Food Day).
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