As part of its expansion plans in Nigeria, Shoprite, the leading Supermarket retailers, is set to open its biggest store in the Sub-Saharan Africa and 10th outlet in Nigeria on 19 June, P.M.NEWS learnt.
The flagship store would be located in the just completed The Palms Shopping Mall, along Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State and it will be the second in the ancient city after that of Cocoa
House outlet.
“We are delighted to be opening a second store in Ibadan. This is one of Nigeria’s largest cities and one filled with friendly people who are renowned for their effortless taste and we have the quality to satisfy,” said Fatai Oshungboye, Shoprite store manager in Ibadan.
He stated that trading from the right wing of the ground floor, the 4,754 square meter new aspirational store will offer customers the very best of Shoprite’s customer service, wider range of products, groceries, freshly baked meals, as well as a specially chosen selection of food at affordable prices.
Adding that approximately, about 200 direct and over 100 indirect jobs will be created as the new store opens, confirming the retail outlets resolve to create sustainable employment alongside investing in training and development.
P.M.NEWS learnt that since Shoprite opened its first Nigerian store in 2004 at The Palms Mall in Lekki, Lagos, the retail giant has set as its target to have a flagship store in every city.
The Palms Mall in Ibadan is the Persianas’ Group latest development and the fourth of its kind in Nigeria with 21,000 metre square retail space that will have as neighbours a rich line of other international and Nigerian retail brands.
The Persianas’ Group has also developed other flagship malls in Enugu and Ilorin – of which Shoprite currently has stores in operation.
As a run down to the store opening, the management of Shoprite has put together a series of activity to excite the people of Ibadan. Between 9 and 18 June, there will be a charity run amidst fun exercises, free bosom cancer screening, donations to schools and lots of giveaways.
The event will also be used to draw attention to the Shoprite Community Network Initiative which supports organizations that provide care in various capacities and will be supported by a number of the Shoprite’s suppliers.
Osungboye noted that the store expansion projects reiterated the management’s outlook on growth.
He revealed that Shoprite have plans of opening 44 new stores in Nigeria “as we believe by going to all places where our customers are located we can serve them better.”
Shoprite CEO, Whitey Basson, had said in August 2013 that Nigeria can handle 600 to 800 stores considering the size of her cities and the penetration of supermarkets. This he said can happen quickly dependent not on Shoprite but on the availability of sites.