PIC quietly builds bigger Famous Brands stake

Famous Brands owns several of South Africa’s best-known quick service and casual dining chains, including Steers, Wimpy, Debonairs Pizza and Fishaways. Famous Brands’ share buyback programme is unfolding alongside a shift in its shareholder base, with the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) increasing its stake to 15.02%. The PIC’s share purchase comes as Famous Brands repurchases up to 5% of its issued share capital between 1 February 2026 and 31 May 2026.

Famous Brands owns several of South Africa’s best-known quick service and casual dining chains, including Steers, Wimpy, Debonairs Pizza and Fishaways, alongside a portfolio of logistics and manufacturing operations that supply its restaurant network. Although buybacks are primarily used toreturn value to shareholders, they also reduce the number of shares available in the market. When this happens, existing investors can end up with a larger slice of the pie even if they are not actively buying large volumes of additional shares.

Famous Brands’ stock was 0.35% down in early afternoon trading at R56.49. Over five years, the stock is up 19.56%. Famous Brands previously reported in its integrated annual report that the PIC held about 10.19% of its issued shares, according to shareholder analysis data published in February 2025.

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At the time, Camissa Asset Managers was the largest fund manager shareholder at 16.10%, followed by the Public Investment Corporation and 36One Asset Management at 8.32%. The same disclosure showed that the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) held a separate direct and indirect beneficial interest of 15.07%. While the PIC and the Government Employees Pension Fund are separate entities, the PIC invests on behalf of the GEPF. The PIC is the largest asset manager in Africa, managing more than R3 trillion in assets.

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