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Mr Price Group

Mr Price Group is a South African value retailer built by co-founders Stewart Cohen and Laurie Chiappini. They opened the first Mr Price Factory Shop in Klerksdorp in 1985.

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Mr Price Group is a South African value retailer built by co-founders Stewart Cohen and Laurie Chiappini. The two met in 1979 and opened the first Mr Price Factory Shop in Klerksdorp in 1985. [1][2]

History

Mr Price’s company history says Cohen and Chiappini met while working for separate clothing retailers in 1979 and developed a shared retail concept. The first Mr Price Factory Store opened in Klerksdorp six years later. [1]

The group’s 2021 integrated report records that Cohen and Chiappini acquired control of the group from BOE in 1991, after which the red-cap identity was developed and the retailer continued expanding into additional categories. [2]

Key milestones

  1. Stewart Cohen and Laurie Chiappini met and began developing the business concept. [1]

  2. The first Mr Price Factory Shop opened in Klerksdorp. [1][2]

  3. The co-founders acquired control of the group from BOE. [2]

Founded / co-founded by

  • Stewart Cohen — South African retailer who co-founded Mr Price with Laurie Chiappini and opened the first Mr Price Factory Shop in 1985.
  • Laurie Chiappini — South African retailer who co-founded Mr Price with Stewart Cohen and opened the first Mr Price Factory Shop in 1985.

Related articles

  • The Founders Who Built South African Retail
    Raymond Ackerman founded Pick n Pay; Stewart Cohen and Laurie Chiappini co-founded Mr Price; Whitey Basson built Shoprite after an existing chain was acquired. Their histories show why “founder” is not one universal category.

Sources

  1. Mr Price Group, The Mr Price Story: 40th Birthday. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-25. ↩
  2. Mr Price Group, Integrated Report 2021, 2021-04-03. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-25. ↩