South African retail legend Raymond Ackerman has died at the age of 92, Pick n Pay confirmed on Thursday.
Ackerman is survived by his wife Wendy, children Gareth, Kathy, Suzanne and Jonathan, his 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Ackerman came from a retailing family with his father having founded Ackermans after World War 1.
He and Wendy founded Pick n Pay in 1967 after buying four stores in Cape Town. The group has grown to more than 2,000 stores across South Africa and seven other African countries.
“From the outset, he lived by the core values that the customer is queen, that we must treat others as we would wish to be treated, and that doing good is good business,” the company said, adding he was also a committed philanthropist.
“Raymond Ackerman was a man of the people; never too busy or too proud to make time for others. He remained humble throughout his life, and passionate about building a more just future for South Africa. He was an enduring optimist about South Africa’s future, and his passing leaves a great void for us all.”
Source: Times Live
