Consumer goods retail giant – Shoprite – has shut all its 25 outlets in Nigeria following commencement of an industrial action by the staff who are protesting the reported sale of the business chain to Tayo Amusan’s Jara.
The contract papers signed by staff show that several of them were to work with Shoprite South Africa until between 2035 and 2040.
But with the current management set to exit in June, the staff demanded to be paid off rather than run the risk of sack after they are transferred to a new Nigerian company – a demand Shoprite has resisted.
In August 2020, Shoprite announced the commencement of a formal process to discontinue its operations in Nigeria “following approaches from various potential investors, and in line with our re-evaluation of the group’s operating model in Nigeria.”
Shoprite Nigeria operates about 25 outlets across the country and employs over 2,000 employees, a substantial number of whom are Nigerians.