10 March 2006
	Years ahead of his time By Chris Gilmour "It's obvious that his vision to establish a supermarket chain in SA was years ahead of its time"

Aaron Searll is chairman of Seardel Investment Corporation, the largest clothing and textile manufacturer in Southern Africa. Like Pick 'n Pay, Seardel is a Cape Town-based company and, like Raymond Ackerman, Searll is the founder of the company that he heads. He's known Ackerman for many years. Of Ackerman's many attributes, the one that Searll highlights is his enormous passion to succeed. "Analysing Raymond's business career, it's obvious that his vision to establish a supermarket chain in SA was years ahead of its time," says Searll, referring to Ackerman's trailblazing success with Checkers and then later with Pick 'n Pay. "I take my hat off to him." And he's equally complimentary about Ackerman's business style. "He's a man of great integrity and treats everybody with courtesy and respect. He's also very generous and spreads that generosity far and wide."