Following the looting incident and vandalisation that erupted after the EndSARS protests late 2020, Retail Supermarket Nigeria Limited (RSNL), owners of Shoprite in Nigeria, has announced plans to reopen the Circle Mall Store, located in the Jakande axis of Lekki in Lagos.
The retail chain owner also announced plans to open new stores in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Benin and Jos as part of its expansion plans, increasing the company’s retail stores in the country.
With the new store openings, Shoprite will be building on its existing store locations across 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“We’re excited to be reopening after a long hiatus. We have had tremendous support and we are looking forward to once again opening our doors to our customers in the Jakande, Lekki area and its environs,” said Tayo Amusan, Chairman of RSNL.
According to Amusan, the reopening serves as an opportunity to show customers that the dogged Nigerian spirit runs deep, even as the team works to optimize its operations for continued productivity.
He posits that the retail company is exploring opportunities to partner with more local farmers and small business owners to optimize agribusiness across Nigeria to considerably increase agricultural yield in the country.
Read also: Shoprite: How Nigerians can impact the economy leveraging local investors
“Since acquiring the business in June 2021, we have achieved very impressive, above inflation, growth in sales and are looking to build on that success while continuing our investment in different parts of Nigeria with the support of our stakeholders,” said Amusan.
He disclosed that RSNL remains steadfast in its commitment to support the growth of the Nigerian economy by exploring opportunities to expand its network of outlets thereby providing employment opportunities for Nigerians.
“We have made the difficult, but necessary, decision to discontinue business operations from Maryland, for now. We thank the surrounding community for years of patronage and loyalty. Our commitment to Lagos state is unwavering and we look forward to providing area shoppers with enhanced shopping experiences in the future,” said Amusan, as he unveiled plans to cease business operations in Purple Mall, Maryland, Lagos from Monday 31 January 2022.
At the moment, Shoprite Nigeria’s supply chain includes more than 300 leading Nigerian suppliers, and boasts small businesses and farmers among its partners and suppliers.
Amusan disclosed further that RSNL is looking to achieve faster growth, have greater impact, and allocate resources, including its workforce (comprising 2,000 workers, 99 percent of whom are Nigerian citizens) to more profitable investments.
