Days after Spar exit call, South African retail leader Angelo Swartz cites family as priority

After nearly two decades at one of Southern Africa’s largest retail groups, Angelo Swartz is stepping back from the day-to-day operations of Spar Group to focus on his family. The 43-year-old South African executive, who became CEO in October 2023, described his departure as a necessary pause following an intense chapter in his career.

“The last five years in particular have required extraordinary focus and intensity,” Swartz said. “While I’ve been deeply committed to the business, its people, and our retailers, the role has come at a significant personal cost. It’s time for me to prioritise my family after a demanding chapter.”

Swartz guides smooth leadership transition

Swartz joined Spar in 2007 as a project manager, following four years at Woolworths as a store finance manager. Over the years, he rose through the ranks, steering the group through periods of change and operational challenges. Speaking about the leadership transition, he emphasized alignment with the board and confidence in the team taking over.

Current CFO Reeza Isaacs, who joined Spar in January 2025 from Woolworths, will become CEO, while COO Megan Pydigadu will step into the CFO role. “Both Megan and Reeza are exceptional leaders,” Swartz said. “They have been central to simplifying the portfolio, stabilizing the balance sheet, and setting a clear path to margin recovery. I’ve worked alongside them through this reset phase, and I have complete confidence in their ability to lead the next stage of execution.”

Swartz will remain involved over the next three months to ensure a smooth handover, focusing on stabilizing operations in KwaZulu-Natal, optimizing the corporate store portfolio, and transferring key retailer relationships. His tenure at Spar included managing the exit from the loss-making Poland unit, which cost $248.2 million, and the sale of the Switzerland business for $42.4 million, alongside a restructuring to concentrate on Southern African markets.

Spar sales rise amid market gains

Under Swartz, Spar’s South African retail operations showed steady improvement. Retail sales rose 1.9 percent year-on-year and 2.25 percent on a like-for-like basis. By comparison, Boxer reported like-for-like growth of 2.4 percent over 22 weeks to February 1, Shoprite 1.9 percent over the second half of 2025, and Pick n Pay’s company-owned supermarkets grew 2.2 percent while its franchise and clothing units grew 0.9 percent.

Spar Health, the group’s emerging health-focused business, posted a 23 percent increase over 18 weeks, while the grocery and liquor segment grew 0.8 percent. Build It faced a 2.4 percent decline due to construction sector pressures and weather disruptions.

Swartz urges tech upgrades, retail focus

Swartz emphasized that focusing on Southern Africa, completing technology upgrades like SAP and ERP systems, and maintaining a “retail first” mindset will be central for the new leadership. He also highlighted the need for targeted promotions in a market of low food inflation and deflation, which temporarily affected gross profit margins in regions like KwaZulu-Natal but was necessary to sustain retailer confidence and long-term stability.