It's 6.45pm on a Friday at the City Star Heliopolis Mall in Nasr City, Cairo, when the sound of a bell rings through the 750 000m2 mall, signalling the beginning of iftar, the meal with which Muslims end their fast at the end of the day during Ramadan. As the sun sets, young Egyptians flood through the many entry points to the mall, many of them adorned in stylish tops, ripped jeans and hijabs (head-coverings for women), the latter reminding one of the country's conservative Muslim culture. But as they prepare to break the fast, the Zara store opens and within minutes it is filled to capacity. Getting and spending Zara, along with Marks & Spencer and Starbucks, is one of almost 750 retail stores in the mall that thrive on the purchasing power of Egypt's young middle class. And as Egypt opens up to foreign companies, it may lure South African retailers looking for a second wave of expansion across the continent. In 2001, Shoprite set up shop in Egypt, with plans for 100 outlets, but ...
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