A short week, but not short of big news...

Top story is the opening of the highly anticipated Mall of Africa in Midrand, said to be the largest shopping centre on the continent. At 131,038m², "it is still far smaller than malls in many developing Asian countries, which tend to average around 300,000m²," reports Alistair Anderson. Morné Wilken, CEO of listed property fund Attacq, says that "the opening of this iconic mega mall marks a significant strategic milestone for retail in SA and indeed takes the African retail experience to a totally next-level..."

In conjunction with Pick n Pay's full-year results presentation, the retailer announced that it will be making a foray into the Nigerian market through a joint venture with AG Levintis. "Nigeria is a country and a market which Pick n Pay cannot ignore in its quest for long-term sustainable growth," said Pick n Pay CE Richard Brasher. While the lack of formal players in Nigeria presents an opportunity, the challenge of succeeding on unfamiliar soil remains.

We wrap up #CommerceMonth with Leigh Andrews' Behind the Selfie on Richard Wood, national retail solutions manager at Graffiti Retail Solutions, and Angie White sharing her opinion on how e-commerce affects the retail salesperson.

May is #AfricaMonth at Biz, featuring key brands, finance, investors, organisations, industries and personalities making a difference in Africa across 18 industries. For more, check out the special section...

Jessica Taylor, Retail Editor (@Biz_Retail)
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