Whitey Basson, arguably SA’s greatest retailer, has announced that at the end of this year he would retire from the helm at Shoprite, which he built into an African grocery colossus. He says he is weary and ‘gatvol’. The news was somehow not a surprise and it seems clear he is stepping aside in the face of longtime associate Christo Wiese’s determination to merge Shoprite with furniture retailer Steinhoff Whitey Basson, arguably SA’s greatest retailer, has announced that at the end of this year he would retire from the helm at Shoprite, which he built into an African grocery colossus. He says he is weary and ‘gatvol’. The news was somehow not a surprise and it seems clear he is stepping aside in the face of longtime associate Christo Wiese’s determination to merge Shoprite with furniture retailer Steinhoff.What it means: To Wiese, it would be natural for Steinhoff to take over Shoprite. But will Shoprite’s remaining 84% of shareholders agree?It was one of those era-defining announce...
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