Sefalana’s South Africa expansion is on the way as the retailer targets supermarket and wholesale chains in the country through a R250 million investment.

The way is paved for Sefalana South Africa to be a reality soon. The Botswana-based retailer announced a R250 million ($18.7 million) investment in a consortium led by Unitrade Management Services (UMS). According to official sources, “the objective of this consortium will be to acquire a number of target supermarket and wholesale chains across the country.” The investment, which is subject to regulatory review, is expected to be cleared by then end of this month.

Recently, Sefalana also made headlines following its expansion to Lesotho through the acquisition of a subsidiary in the country. The latest financial results presentation by the company has already reflected the move, which represented an additional P155 million ($15 million) in revenues from the first six months of trading. Representatives from the company have made public that the retailer is currently scouting for retail space to open another store in Maseru. Additionally, Sefalana has also planned for a new Sefalana supermarket and a new Cash and Carry in Namibia, along with the opening of Namibian Headquarters early next year.

At the moment, according to Trendtype’s Retail Database Tracker, Sefalana has a total of 68 stores across Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Lesotho. The retailer operates six banners just in the grocery sector, inlcuding Sefalana Hyper, Shopper, Cash and Carry, Liquor, Quick and Metro Hyper. The addition of a South African operation would be a significant step in the company’s development. This is particularly true given the fact that Choppies – Sefalana’s biggest competitor – has announced network expansions across Southern and East Africa.