Overview
- Swartz will depart at the end of February with a three‑month transition period to support ongoing strategic initiatives.
- Chief operating officer Megan Pydigadu will become CFO on 1 March, with a review underway of portfolios previously overseen by the COO.
- Spar will create a dedicated managing director role for groceries and liquor to sharpen execution in its Southern Africa business.
- During Swartz’s tenure the group sold its Swiss and Polish assets, exited the UK, reduced debt to R5.4 billion from R9.1 billion, and recorded over R5 billion in FY2025 impairments.
- The company faces a R168.7 million lawsuit from major franchisee the Giannacopoulos family over a failed SAP rollout, with court papers alleging R142.9 million in gross‑profit losses.