Pick n Pay SA takes over Botswana franchise

The deal was confirmed by the Competition and Consumer Authority (CCA), which approved the transaction with conditions aimed at protecting jobs and maintaining market competition. NTS Holdings, a locally incorporated company, has since 2009 held a territorial agreement to run Pick n Pay’s Botswana operations. It currently manages 13 supermarkets and six liquor stores under the Pick n Pay brand.

The company is owned by Flight Centre Botswana, Kaya Retailers and investor Bruce John Milne. According to regulators, the acquiring entity, Pick n Pay Retailers Proprietary Limited is a South African firm wholly owned by Pick n Pay Stores Limited, one of the largest retail chains in Southern Africa. With the acquisition, all Pick n Pay operations in Botswana will now be under direct control of the South African parent company. While the reasons for the takeover have not been publicly disclosed, the transaction marks the end of a 15-year franchise arrangement and signals a strategic shift toward full ownership. Financial terms of the deal were not made available.