South Africa’s largest grocery retailer, Shoprite Holdings, has confirmed plans to pull out of Ghana, marking the latest step in its broader strategy to scale back operations across Africa and focus on its domestic market.
In a trading update for the 52 weeks ending June 29, 2025, the retail giant revealed it had received a binding offer in June to sell its Ghanaian operations — comprising seven retail stores and a warehouse. The company has since classified its Ghana business as “discontinued,” describing the sale as “highly probable.”
“The Group received a binding offer during June 2025 to dispose of the assets and liabilities in relation to the operations in Ghana, which consists of seven trading stores and one warehouse. The sale is deemed highly probable,” the statement read.
Shoprite’s planned exit follows a string of market withdrawals in recent years, including Nigeria, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Madagascar. On June 6, the company also signed an agreement to sell five outlets in Malawi, pending regulatory approval from the country’s Competition and Fair Trading Commission and the Reserve Bank of Malawi.
Once present in about 15 African countries, Shoprite has been scaling down its continental footprint due to persistent operational challenges such as currency depreciation, high import duties, inflationary pressures, and costly dollar-based lease agreements.
The identity of the prospective buyer for Shoprite’s Ghana assets remains undisclosed, but the binding offer indicates a deal is close, subject to final regulatory clearance.
Shoprite entered Ghana in 2003, becoming a staple in the country’s retail landscape. Its departure will bring an end to more than 20 years of operations, closing a chapter in the expansion story of Africa’s former largest food retailer.