Tafelberg Book Chat: The Rise and Rule of the Shoprite King

NB Publishers

Whitey: The Rise and Rule of the Shoprite King by Niel Joubert, published by Tafelberg, was launched at Exclusive Books V&A. Neil was in conversation with Whitey Basson. This is a recording of that discussion. Order your copy of Whitey: The Rise and Rule of the Shoprite King (also available in Afrikaans as Whitey: Sakereus van Shoprite) from your nearest bookshop or online. Visit our website for more details: https://www.nb.co.za/en/view-book/?id=9780624087892 https://www.nb.co.za/en/view-book/?id=9780624089186 About this book: James Wellwood Basson, known as ‘Whitey’, is a South African business legend. In 1979, he bought eight small shops in and around Cape Town. Over the years, Whitey quietly built his Shoprite group, acquiring Grand Bazaars and the struggling Checkers. In a famous takeover deal, he bought OK Bazaars from SA Breweries for a single Rand. It became profitable within a year, and Whitey was widely hailed as a business genius. In this authorised biography, access to the Bassons’ archives and interviews with Whitey and his inner circle, financial journalist Niel Joubert recreates Whitey’s story in rich detail: from his childhood on a Porterville farm to his mentorship at Pep Stores (under the renowned Renier van Rooyen), achieving his lifelong target of eclipsing Pick n Pay, and conquering Africa. Today, Shoprite is the biggest retailer on the continent, one of the 100 biggest in the world and South Africa’s largest private employer. A colourful, inspirational story. Whitey: The Rise and Rule of the Shoprite King is available in Afrikaans and English.