Who owns UPD?
UPD is owned by Clicks Group (South Africa, JSE: CLS), which has owned the brand since 2003.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Clicks Group Limited integrated annual report 2025. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Clicks Group Limited reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇿🇦 South Africa, Cape Town
- Origin
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- Category
- Healthcare & pharma › Care providers › Pharmacy chains
- Parent ticker
- JSE: CLS
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About UPD
UPD is South Africa's leading full-range pharmaceutical wholesaler and, per Clicks Group, was the first with a national presence. Clicks acquired it in 2003 to provide the distribution capability for its healthcare strategy, and Clicks is its single largest customer. UPD runs five distribution hubs and operates electric delivery vehicles in Gauteng.
Ownership timeline of UPD
- 2003 – present Clicks Group [1] reported
Where UPD sits in Clicks Group
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Clicks Group ownership tree →
See the full Clicks Group brand portfolio (4) →
Other brands owned by Clicks Group
Clicks Group controls 4 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in healthcare & pharma.
Also in healthcare & pharma
- Clicks (1968)
- Clicks Baby (2021)
Other brands in care providers, and who owns them
The 31 brands in care providers on Brandtree belong to 14 owners. The largest is Quest Diagnostics, with 5; Clicks Group has 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| AmeriPath | Quest Diagnostics | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Amplar Health | Medibank | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| Colilert | IDEXX | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Petrifilm | Neogen | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Discovery Health | Discovery | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| St. David's HealthCare | HCA Healthcare | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Labcorp | Labcorp | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Honeysuckle Health | nib | 🇦🇺 Australia |
About the owner: Clicks Group
Clicks Group is a publicly listed company headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, founded in 1968. Brandtree records 4 brands under its control, and it is listed as JSE: CLS.
Clicks Group is a South African retail-led healthcare group listed on the JSE since 1996. Its 2025 integrated annual report describes the Clicks health, beauty and wellness chain, the Sorbet beauty salon franchise and the UPD pharmaceutical wholesaler, and reports group turnover of R47.8 billion for the year to 31 August 2025. It also runs The Body Shop in South Africa, but only under a franchise agreement with The Body Shop International.
Clicks Group: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇿🇦 UPD and other South African brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 175 brands that began in South Africa. 12 of them (7%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; UPD is not one of them.
- Afrocentric — Sanlam 🇿🇦
- Discovery Health — Discovery 🇿🇦
- @home — TFG 🇿🇦
- Ackermans — Pepkor 🇿🇦
- Airlink — Airlink 🇿🇦
- Albany — Tiger Brands 🇿🇦
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of UPD?
The parent company of UPD is Clicks Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in South Africa.
Is UPD South African?
Yes. UPD originated in South Africa and its owner, Clicks Group, is also headquartered in South Africa.
Since when has Clicks Group owned UPD?
Clicks Group has owned UPD since 2003.
Is UPD still owned by Clicks Group?
Yes. As of 12 October 2026, UPD is still owned by Clicks Group. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Clicks Group Limited integrated annual report 2025 — Clicks Group Limited, Annual report; retrieved 12 October 2026.
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