Employees of Shoprite have protested unpaid gratuity and accused the South African company of selling off the Nigerian subsidiary without honouring their memorandum of understanding (MOU).
In a video shared online, one of the protesters said Shoprite and the national body for the employees planned to meet last month over the employees’ wages but the meeting did not hold.
The protesters barricaded Shoprite’s entrance in Ikeja City Mall (ICM) in a bid to voice out their displeasure concerning how the situation is being handled by the management of Shoprite.
The protesters made it known that the Nigerian subsidiary has been bought by new owners that are expected to takeover Shoprite Nigeria in April 2021. This revelation is in line with Shoprite’s announcement last year that it would exit the Nigerian market.
Shoprite disclosed it wanted to divest its holdings in Nigeria’s retail markets and focus on its homefront, which happens to be South Africa.
This implies that the ownership of about 26 outlets that are currently operating in Nigeria will be transferred to new owners.
According to its financial statements, Shoprite Nigeria is worth about N24 billion. The company had planned to exit Nigeria in 2020 but the South African retailer has not confirmed it has fully left the Nigerian market.
