Another South African retail chain enters Ugandan market

September 9, 2016 in Business, Companies, Trade & Industry by Editor

KAMPALA, SEPTEMBER 9 – After a period of uncertainty as Shoprite considered exiting the Ugandan market, another South African retailer has added Uganda to its growing portfolio on the continent. PEP which is considered Africa’s largest single brand retailer entered the Ugandan market a couple of months ago and has since expanded its outlets to four. The chain is operating two stores on Luwum Street, one on Kyagwe Road, one on Entebbe Road and one in Mukono.

PEP operates close to 1800 stores in Southern Africa selling clothing, footwear, as well as home-ware and Fast Moving Consumer Goods. It was not immediately clear when or whether the store will introduce the full range of its product offering to Uganda but in Southern Africa, PEP also sells  cellular and airtime products and a range of other services such as cash-backs, Capfin (for loans), funeral policies, cross-border money transfers, selected bill payments, Flash electricity tokens, a VISA debit card called PEPplus and more.

Employing more than 15000 people, PEP which was founded in 1965 boasts more than 265 million customer transactions and sells around 600 million products a year. It accounts for 50pc of all cellular handsets sales, 55pc of all school-wear and 72pc of all school shoes in South Africa.

PEP joins Shoprite and Game which have weathered the Ugandan market for close to two decades during which SA pioneers Metro Cash and Carry and Supreme Furnishers succumbed and withdrew.