Post office SPAR owners retire after 45 years in the business
The siblings, who are beloved members of the community, will be missed.
A great loss is felt by the retirement of Stephanos Stephanou (66) and Kitsa Philippou (68), the owners of Post Office SPAR on Voortrekker Road.
This SPAR has been in the family for decades, with siblings Stephanos (Stephan) and Kitsa taking over from their father along with their spouses.
They officially took over in 1979, marking 2024 as the 45th year of their ownership and management of the branch.
Post Office SPAR has existed from 1964 as one of the founding stores for the SPAR brand in South Africa.
The siblings grew up in Brakpan and are beloved members of the community.
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Their father emigrated from Cyprus to South Africa, joining Nick Nicolou as the owner of the branch and building it up from scratch.
Stephan attended Brenthurst Primary School, and Kitsa went to Imelda Convent. They completed their schooling at Boksburg High School.
They lived in Dalview and seem to know everyone in the community. The current staff count at the shop is 42, with length of appointment ranging from 30 years to two.
“Everyone works as a family,” Stephan said.
“It’s hardest to say goodbye to everyone, but they will be staying on and continuing as normal after we retire,” Kitsa added.
One of the hardest parts of the job for both are the long hours and seven-day work weeks. Now they look forward to spending that time with their families.
Kitsa has two daughters, three granddaughters and two grandsons. Stephan has a son and daughter and one granddaughter.
The children won’t be taking over the store, as they have their own careers. Instead, Chibbs Chikava will be taking over as the new owner and manager. Stephan assures that everything will continue as normal.
“We want to thank the whole community of Brakpan for all the support and love they’ve shown us,” Kitsa said.
