Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana’s retail landscape is poised for a significant transformation following a proposed acquisition by Pep Botswana Holdings Limited and Dunns Stores (Botswana) of the retail operations currently run by Oclin Proprietary Limited, trading as Retailability Botswana.
The merger, filed with the Competition and Consumer Authority (CCA), involves the takeover of three major apparel brands: Legit, Style, and Swagga. Collectively, these brands operate 26 stores across Botswana, with Legit and Style each running 10 outlets and Swagga accounting for six.
Corporate Structure
The target enterprises span a diverse retail portfolio, offering women’s fashion, men’s and kids’ apparel, beauty products and cellular accessories.
The acquiring entities, Pep Botswana and Dunns Stores (Botswana), are wholly owned by Pep Investments Proprietary Limited, a South African firm. Pep Investments is in turn controlled by Pepkor Proprietary Limited, itself a subsidiary of Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed Pepkor Holdings Limited.
No individual investor
The latter has a broad shareholder base and is not controlled by any individual investor.
According to the merger filing, the acquiring companies are already active in Botswana’s retail sector, offering clothing, footwear, homeware, cosmetics and cellular products. The acquisition, therefore, signals a strategic expansion of their footprint within the same market segment.
The selling enterprise, Retailability Botswana, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Retailability Proprietary Limited, also based in South Africa. The three target brands are operated under this entity, making it the primary subject of the proposed transaction.
Regulatory oversight
In line with Section 49(1) of the Competition Act of 2018, the CCA has initiated a public review of the transaction. The Authority is inviting stakeholders to submit any relevant information or opinions for or against the proposed merger within 10 days of the notice.
Section 50(3) of the Act empowers any person, including third parties not directly involved in the merger, to submit documents, statements, or other relevant information regarding the proposed acquisition.
The merger shows that CCA’s decision will weigh heavily on the potential impact of the merger on market competition, consumer choice and economic fairness.
Governance and directors
The directors of the acquiring companies and the seller span both local and foreign representation.
Pep Botswana’s board includes Wynand Johannes Moller, Kago Moagi Regoeng, Ivan Waldo Roux, Moletanyi Oboile Pilatwe, and Moditsa Victor Mpopang. Directors of Dunns Stores (Botswana) include Abdool Rahim Khan and Tyrone Robert Vieira, among others.
Retailability Botswana is overseen by Norman Victor Drieselmann, Nasreen Essack, Mark Richard Friday, and Clifford Raymond Lines.
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