North Africa is on Tiger Brands’ radar
North African countries such as Morocco and Egypt have comparatively larger middle classes and more developed retail sectors
Tiger Brands is considering North African nations among expansion targets as the continent’s biggest listed packaged-food maker looks for growth outside its home market of SA. The company is still developing its rest-of-Africa strategy, which has been delayed by about six months as management dealt with one of its plants having been linked to the listeriosis crisis, says CEO Lawrence MacDougall. Tiger Brands, which sees its core business as supplying food products to middle-income consumers, also wants to make sure its business at home is "secure and healthy" before making big moves elsewhere, he says. While the company is still working out details, it plans to select several countries to move into as part of the new strategy, the CEO says. Nearly 90% of its sales in the six months to end-March were from SA, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. "Obviously sub-Sahara is easier to play because it’s closer, but our strategy is looking at the total Africa," he said. "You have to loo...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.