Nigerian firm, Ketron, acquires Shoprite Nigeria – Newstrends
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Nigerian firm, Ketron, acquires Shoprite Nigeria

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A Nigerian firm, Ketron Investment Limited, has taken over Shoprite stores in Nigeria having acquired 100 per cent Shoprite Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited, owner and operator of the stores.

Already, the change in ownership has received the approval of the Nigerian regulator, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

The divestment by Shoprite International is said to be in line with its strategy to change from an ownership model to a franchise model.

Chairman, Ketron Investment Limited, Tayo Amusan said completing the acquisition of Shoprite would ensure the continued operation of one of the biggest retail success stories in Nigeria.

He said, “We look forward to building an even stronger company following our acquisition and are excited about the greater impact we will achieve to the benefit of our customers and other stakeholders now and well into the future.”

Amusan explained that their vision was to create better fundamental change within Nigeria.

He said with benefits from their knowledge of the ever-evolving Nigerian retail marketplace, well-grounded social and economic research, and hands-on experience from their team, they are confident that the acquisition would foster a robust and sustainable business model for the ultimate benefit of all stakeholders,” he said.

On his part, Chief Executive Officer, MBO Capital, Jide Ogundare, said the deal signals an opportunity for Ketron to uphold a thriving business.

“It will be hard work,” he said, adding, “But with the plans we have in place, and with the support of the larger Shoprite family in Nigeria including our staff and every Nigerian shopper that walks through our doors, we are confident of success.”

He also said, “Shoprite Holdings is Africa’s largest food retailer, operating 2,843 supermarkets in 15 countries and serving 35 million customers in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.

“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.

“Ketron has said that Shoprite International will continue as technical advisers and Ketron will sustain the relationships established by Shoprite over the last decade and a half while ensuring a smooth “transfer of values.”

Since its launch in Lagos in December 2005, Shoprite has expanded to 25 outlets across 11 states and Abuja.

According to the terms of this acquisition, Ketron acquires 100 per cent ownership of Shoprite in Nigeria and will continue operations across all existing outlets.

It also plans to open additional stores and introduce more Nigerian-made products in the stores. This he noted, will also result in more opportunities for Nigerians.

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FG deploys Lanre Shittu CNG buses as airport shuttle 

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FG deploys Lanre Shittu CNG buses as airport shuttle

 

The Federal Government has commenced the deployment of Lanre Shittu Motors (LSM)-branded  Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses in the nation’s airports for passengers shuttle.

The first batch of the CNG-powered buses has been launched at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, at a ceremony attended by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Management, Festus Keyamo, and Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku.

Speaking during the unveiling at the Lagos airport, the minister said the deployment was in line with the directive of President Bola Tinubu.

He said it was part of Nigeria’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and meeting global climate targets.

‘’What you see here today is a fleet of CNG buses for FAAN to commence passenger movement at all our airports immediately,” the minister said.

He said the newly acquired CNG-powered LSM buses unveiled at the Lagos airport are eco-friendly with zero emission and designed with accessibility features for persons with disabilities.

The deployment, he added, was in compliance with the President’s goal of reducing reliance on traditional fossil fuels of petrol and diesel and promoting sustainable use of CNG to power vehicles in the country.

The introduction of the CNG to power automobiles is one of the Federal Government’s initiatives to ease the impact of fuel subsidy removal on the masses.

The CNG buses, according to the Managing Director of Lanre Shittu Motors, Taiwo Shittu, come in two specifications: a 31-seater for airport shuttle services and a 54-seater for mass transit city buses.

He said they had been equipped with modern amenities, including air conditioning, viewing screens, and charging stations.

With the introduction of the CNG buses, he said LSM aimed to provide a more sustainable and efficient transportation solution not only to Lagos but other parts of the country.

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LSM MD extols founder’s qualities after latter posthumous industry award 

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LSM MD extols founder’s qualities after latter posthumous industry award 

*He left us a good name, says son

 

Founder and late Chairman of Lanre Shittu Motors (LSM), Alhaji Olanrewaju Shittu, has been honoured with a Nigerian auto industry posthumous award.

This was announced in Lagos at the 2024 edition of the annual

Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) announced this in Lagos at the 2024 recently industry awards.

The prestigious award was received by one of his sons, Mr Taiwo Shittu, who is also the managing director of the auto company.

NAJA said the award was in acknowledgement of the leading role of the LSM founder in the development of the automotive business in Nigeria, describing him as a silent achiever.

Speaking on the honour, Taiwo Shittu, who was also declared the Nigeria’s Auto Personality of the Year, praised his father for painstakingly building the LSM brand and leaving behind a good name to the delight of the children and the entire family members.

He described this as a legacy accounting for the success of the company so far since his father’s demise over a year ago.

He said, “I must thank my late father, Alhaji Razaq Olanrewaju Shittu, for building the brand name. There is nothing like a good name.

“If you don’t leave anything for your children other than a good name, the sky is the limit for them.

“In our own case, he left us money and the good name. We can’t thank him enough for leaving us with a good name.

“You can imagine that everywhere we turn to in the country, once we mention we are Lanre Shittu’s sons, we are ushered in immediately.

“People would say ‘Your father was a good man. He won’t cheat you if you did any business with him. His word was his bond; he never broke his promises’. I have heard this many times. And the only thing we can do is to build on this legacy.”

Taiwo Shittu also noted that the unity existing among the 20 surviving children of the late LSM founder was part of his father’s legacies and something for other family businesses in Nigeria to emulate.

He said, “A lot of businesses collapse after the death of their owners. Once a business founder is dead, the next you hear is that a fight has broken out and while one person is taking the arm, another is claiming the leg, the other is going for the body. And in six months, the whole empire is gone down.

“In our case, we have 20 siblings that are cooperative and believe in my ability to lead the business with my other brothers.

“We had a father who never spoiled us. He taught us sincerity, commitment and accountability.”

He also spoke about the lifestyle of the late father, saying even though he was a car dealer and loved cars, he would only change his main car after every 10 years.

“Yes, he loved cars. He used to have a Rolls Royce. But he no longer had it before he died. What he had was a Mercedes-Benz Maybach. His car garage was not packed full. Even though he was a car dealer, he changed his main car every 10 years.

“He was a very prudent man. At the beginning of his adult life, he had many cars; in the middle, he was prudent. It was at the end that he bought some flashy cars such as Lexus L600, MayBach 650 engine – at that time only he and ex-President Muhammadu Buhari had that car. He bought the car then because the family was preparing for three weddings. By time he died, the MayBach had only run 600 miles.”

The LSM chairman, according to him, started the auto business in the late 1970s as a car dealer with three vehicles.

He said he was so creditworthy that many were willing to release their vehicles to him on credit, adding that this helped the business to grow faster.

He recalled how he would travel to Ogbomosho, Oyo State, and Kaduna to buy cars and returned to Lagos with double the number he could readily paid for.

“Sometimes, he would travel as far as Kaduna to buy 12 cars from PAN, he would be the person driving the last vehicle while others were ahead driving all the way to Lagos,” he stated.

Before delving into automobile assembling, he also recalled that Daewoo and Rolls Royce were the two brands that gave the LSM a real breakthrough.

 

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Nigeria remains oil/gas investment destination with $5bn shell FID – TDF

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Nigeria remains oil/gas investment destination with $5bn shell FID – TDF

The Democratic Front (TDF) has announced that Shell’s $5 billion Final Investment Decision (FID) for the Bonga North Deep Offshore field further highlights the investment-friendly approach of the Tinubu administration.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad, and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo.

The group explained that the investment demonstrates how International Oil Companies (IOCs) still see Nigeria as an attractive destination for investments.

“We join President Bola Tinubu in celebrating the Final Investment Decision (FID) by Shell on Bonga North Offshore Field.” 

“It is a thing of pride for us that the investment is the outcome of reforms introduced by the President through the Presidential Directives numbers 40, 41, and 42 to fast-track regulatory approvals, reduce operational costs, and promote competitive fiscal incentives in the oil and gas sector.” 

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“We have a conviction that the pertinence of the fresh investment in the sector and indeed the larger Nigeria economy is not only limited to the $5 billion value of the investment but also extends to the field’s potential volume of 350 million barrels of crude oil. It is a development that is bound to further raise the nation’s oil output and revenue as well as bolster its position as Africa’s largest oil producer.

The group noted that this and other strategic investments, such as TotalEnergies’ $500 million in the Ubeta gas field, are driven by President Tinubu’s fiscal incentives, showcasing the success of his reforms in attracting foreign direct investment to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. 

“The Ubeta upstream field is estimated to produce 350 million standard cubic feet of gas per day when operational and will go a long way to raise the country’s profile as a major gas producer. This remarkable economic feat was unarguably achieved under the economic reform of President Bola Tinubu.” 

“It is instructive that since its discovery in 1996, the Bonga deepwater field, located in OML 118, at a water depth exceeding 1000 meters, has not witnessed such a humongous investment as the $5 billion coming from Shell and this is an attestation of President Tinubu’s pro-business approach to governance.” 

“Furthermore, this extraordinary display of confidence in Nigeria’s investment ecosystem is a confirmation of the success of the current reforms in eliminating investment encumbrances and the risks of doing business in Nigeria.” 

TDF is confident that more IOCs will key into the fiscal incentives introduced by the Tinubu administration to make fresh investments in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. 

 

Nigeria remains oil/gas investment destination with $5bn shell FID – TDF

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