Claims circulating online suggest that Nigerians shut down Shoprite stores in retaliation over xenophobia allegations involving South Africans.

However, available information shows that this claim is misleading.

Shoprite Holdings, the South African parent company, sold its Nigerian business in 2021 to Ketron Investment Limited, a local buyer. Reuters reported at the time that Shoprite sold its Nigerian business after nearly 16 years in the country.

After the sale, Shoprite-branded stores continued operating in Nigeria under local ownership. A Shoprite Holdings transaction document also stated that Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited had the right to continue using the Shoprite brand under a franchise agreement.

This means the later closure of stores should not be presented as Nigerians simply shutting down a South African-owned company because of xenophobia.

There were incidents in 2019 where South African-linked businesses in Nigeria temporarily closed stores during anger over xenophobic violence in South Africa. Reuters reported that South African businesses shut some stores in Nigeria after attacks during that period.

But that is different from saying Shoprite’s final exit from Nigeria was caused by retaliation or that Nigerians closed the company because of xenophobia.

More recent reports point to business pressure as the main issue. Shoprite’s wider retreat from several African markets has been linked to challenges such as currency volatility, inflation, import duties and dollar-based rental costs.

Based on the available information, the claim that Nigerians shut down Shoprite as retaliation over xenophobia is misleading. The clearer explanation is that Shoprite Holdings exited direct ownership in Nigeria in 2021, and the remaining locally operated Shoprite-branded stores later faced difficult market conditions.

NewsNexus found no verified evidence proving that Shoprite’s final closure in Nigeria was caused by Nigerians retaliating over xenophobia allegations.

The issue should therefore be understood mainly as a business and retail-market story, not as a confirmed xenophobic retaliation story.