Grocery and liquor retailer Spar, whose CEO Graham O’Connor will step down from the position next year, has welcomed a new executive to the forefront, Brett Botten.
The group on Friday announced a string of managerial changes and Botten was named as its new CEO, with effect from March 2021.
Botten, a chartered accountant, joined the retailer 26 years ago and is MD of Spar’s South Rand division. He has held the position since 2010.
He has also previously served as MD of Spar North Rand, Spar Lowveld as well as Spar Eastern Cape divisions.
Spar generates most of its revenue in Southern Africa and operates in 48 countries and has 246 distribution centres with a network of more than 13,000 stores.
Botton replaces O’Connor who took up the reins at the retailer in 2014. O’Connor is to become Spar’s new chair, replacing Mike Hankinson who retires in March after his 16-year tenure as chair.
He will step into O’Connor’s shoes, who during his tenure as Spar CEO has been instrumental in expanding the group’s footprint into Europe and maintaining its distribution and franchising model.
Its expansion outside SA has not been without troubles with ambitions in Switzerland being challenged by a tougher than anticipated trading environment brought on by a weak Swiss economy and the devaluation of the Swiss franc.
The group recently entered the Poland market through its takeover of flailing Polish retail chain Piotr i Pawel. Like Spar, it includes franchised and company-owned stores. The stores are being restructured into Spar-branded ones. Piotr i Pawel has been loss-making but is expected to break even in 2023 after Spar invested €80m to stabilise the retailer.
The group has touted Poland as a region with great opportunities for growth given the rate at which the economy is growing as well as its low unemployment rate.
The group also appointed independent non-executive director Andrew Waller as the lead independent director of the board.
“[The board’s] further thanks are extended to Graham for his tenure as group CEO and member of the international board for the past six years and the board looks forward to working under his guidance as non-executive chairman,” the company said in a statement.
Desmond Borrageiro, MD of Spar North Rand division, replaces Botten and Jerome Jacobs, marketing head of Spar South Rand, replaces Borrageiro.
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