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After years of struggle in Nigeria, last Shoprite stores close their doors
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2026
Some speculation of a ‘business reset’ rather than an exit, but a long and troubled Nigerian era for the retail brand may be over.
The Shoprite brand has finally ceased to exist in Nigeria, nearly 20 years after it first entered the country, driven by an Africa-wide expansion strategy championed by top executive Whitey Basson.
Shoprite has a strong following in Southern Africa, but has struggled in other parts of Africa. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Shoprite’s South African parent has long since exited ownership of its Nigerian supermarkets and sold them to local investors, but they have made little headway in turning around the ailing brand, with stores around the country being progressively closed.
According to reports in the Nigerian media, the last stores have now shut their doors, seemingly marking the end of a long and troubled era for the brand in the country.
“Inside sources attributed the collapse to a prolonged financial strain and persistent inventory shortages affecting its Nigerian franchise, Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited (RSNL),” reports local news outlet Vanguard News.
“Shoprite entered Nigeria in 2005 to transform Nigerians’ experience of grocery and general household shopping. The continental retail giant quickly expanded to about 25 outlets across 13 states.
“However, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, border closures, foreign exchange shortages, rising import tariffs and logistics costs combined to pressure the business.
“In 2021, Shoprite Holdings Limited of South Africa exited direct ownership, selling Shoprite Nigeria to Ketron Investment Limited, a consortium led by Persianas Investment Limited, owners of The Palms Mall and other retail properties.”
Many years of problems
Noted Trendtype, the emerging markets consultancy, in a September 2025 newsletter: “The sale came after years of problems: overdependency on imports, the depreciation of the Naira, xenophobic violence, weak consumer spending and high inflation. Shoprite had also been targeted by regulators.
“Shoprite was not the first South African chain to exit Nigeria: Woolworths exited in 2013, Truworths and Mr Price came and went, and Massmart’s Game limped out in 2022.”
According to an update published this week by Trendtype, the phased shutdown began in Kano in 2024 and concluded with the closure of Lagos outlets.
Vanguard News speculates that the situation may be a reset rather than an exit, pointing to an earlier statement by the owners that it was undertaking a “comprehensive business model reset” to align with economic realities.
“Chief Strategy Officer, Bunmi Cynthia Adeleye, said the reset was aimed at sustainability amid macroeconomic headwinds. Yet, for many businesses already affected, the timeline for a comeback remains unclear. For now, questions linger over when or if Shoprite outlets will resume operations at scale,” Vanguard News says.
It has been speculated that any new strategy will involve smaller store formats, a focus on local sourcing for over 80% of products, improved operational efficiencies and new investors.
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