'Whitey Basson is a visionary leader ... It is an honour and privilege to consider Whitey a brother.'–Patrice Motsepe

'Very few people have impressed me more than Whitey Basson when it comes to discipline, hard work and self-sacrifice. While I could identify with his incredible work ethic, it was his generosity of spirit that saw my respect for the man develop into a bond of friendship.'–Jonty Rhodes

James Wellwood Basson–widely known as ‘Whitey’–is a South African business legend. In 1979, supported by Pep Stores, he bought eight small shops in and around Cape Town, with one goal: to conquer the food retail sector. Over the years, Whitey quietly built his Shoprite group, growing it by acquiring Grand Bazaars and the struggling Checkers. Then, in South Africa’s most 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, based on years of research, access to the Bassons’ archives and wide-ranging interviews with Whitey and his inner circle, award-winning 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–creating wealth for untold South Africans. Despite his success, Whitey is known as down-to-earth, with a distinctive, straight-talking and people-centred management style. Whitey: The Rise and Rule of the Shoprite King is his colourful, inspirational story.