Data shows extremely large pay gaps and poor leadership diversity in JSE-listed wholesale and retail sector

Loading player...
GUEST – Kwanele Ngogela – Just Share senior inequality analyst

The average lowest paid worker in the wholesale and retail sector would need to work for 21 months to earn what an average CEO in this sector earns in one day.

New research by Just Share looks at ten JSE-listed companies in the wholesale and retail space, based on analysis of these companies’ most recent public disclosures. The research highlights significant pay gaps and poor levels of diversity at the board and management level.

Shoprite Holdings, Pick n Pay, Pepkor Holdings, The Foschini Group, Woolworths, Mr Price Group, Dis-Chem, Clicks Group, Truworths International, and Spar Group together employ 389,766 full-time employees and account for R833.7 billion in yearly revenue. Overall, the wholesale and retail sector is the second-largest employer in South Africa after government, employing about 17% of the workforce.

The sector’s performance on gender and racial diversity at board and top management levels is mixed, with disappointingly low targets set by several of the companies analysed here.
11 Sep 2024 2PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

SANEDI on Key AEF Takeaways critical for South Africa's Energy Future

Prof. Sampson Mamphweli, the Head of the Energy Secretariat at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), joins us for his view on South Africa's future. He unpacks policy and project-based initiatives that came to the fore on the agenda at this week's Africa Energy Forum.
18 Jun 3PM 11 min

Africa’s Power Market Is Learning to Share: AEF 2026 Highlights

From Uganda’s first independent transmission project to South Africa’s R440bn grid expansion plan, AEF 2026 showcased a continent shifting toward private‑sector participation and distributed energy. Absa CIB's Nikhil Kasiram breaks down the biggest trends shaping Africa’s power future.
18 Jun 3PM 12 min

Pivot Point: BrightRock at 15 and CEO Stevens on Leading the Next Chapter

BrightRock celebrates 15 years of disrupting the life insurance industry with its needs‑matched model. CEO Suzanne Stevens reflects on her leadership journey, the company’s growth to over 12% market share, and the future of life insurance in a rapidly changing consumer landscape.
18 Jun 3PM 18 min