Botswana’s Sefalana lands Metro in Namibia

After being acquired by Botswana’s consumer goods firm, Sefalana Group, last year, Metro Namibia was relaunched at an event held on Tuesday evening in Windhoek.

The event took place after the group conducted nine months of studying the local retail landscape.
Metro Namibia was previously owned by Metcash South Africa (Metcash). With the demise of Metcash, Metro Namibia underwent several ownership changes and on 1 July 2014, was acquired by the giant Sefalana Group.
Sefalana Group Managing Director, Chandra Chauhan said, “With their investment into the Namibian economy through Metro Namibia, Sefalana has shown real commitment to the country. There has also been a significant contribution to the job market as all existing Metro staff members were retained post take over. Additional staff have also been employed since Sefalana took over the business with the creation of a number of senior positions filled by Namibian citizens.
“This trend is expected to continue if the Group is able to expand its footprint across Namibia. Because Metro Namibia caters for traders, there is strong support of small business in the country,” added Chauhan.
Sefalana is listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange and has a diverse portfolio that includes Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), property, vehicle dealerships, sale of agriculture and construction equipment, and a sizeable plant manufacturing grain-based products, soaps and detergents. Sefalana has across Botswana, 25 cash and carry stores, 20 retail supermarkets and 3 hyper stores, employing over 2,200 employees.
Meanwhile each of the 12 local Metro stores has or is in the process of renewing their exterior signage, which will still feature the famous METRO NAMBIA oval, but with a fresh new look and feel.
At the event it was highlighted that Sefalana will provide a strong and established infrastructure for Metro Namibia and also brings the added benefit of being a member of voluntary trading organisation, Unitrade Management Services (UMS). UMS is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and provides a multitude of services to Sefalana and Metro Namibia, including bulk buying, marketing and branding, finance and IT, sales and operational support and training. UMS has an entrepreneurial culture and is committed to serving their communities via their member stores.
To celebrate Metro Namibia’s new journey and store upgrades, the Group is running a special 18-day promotion with excellent pricing on a wide range of products. The promotion started on 25 March 2015 and finishes on 18 April 2015. This promotion is available at all its stores across Namibia.
Said Bryan Davis, Managing Director of Metro Namibia, “We offer personal service, carry customised ranges in each store that suit specific areas and are flexible when it comes to meeting our customer’s requirements. If a customer needs a specific product, we will do our utmost to get it in stock for them.”
“Very importantly, the general public is warmly welcomed to shop at our stores,” he added.
Metro Namibia’s stores are located in Keetmanshoop; Mariental; Walvis Bay; Swakopmund; Windhoek; Gobabis; Otjiwarongo, Tsumeb; Oshakati; Ondangwa; Rundu; and Katima Mulilo.