By Olushola Victor
There are widespread concerns regarding the future of the South African-owned shopping mall, Shoprite. Since news emerged that the chain was considering exiting the country, there have been calls for Nigerian businessmen to tap into the opportunity.
A name that keeps coming up as a potential investor is billionaire Tayo Amusan, who has malls in Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, Ilorin, Ota and Ibadan. By acquiring Shoprite, he will be making a huge financial statement.
Amusan is married to a wife, Ayo, who also shares in his vision to grow the Nigerian retail sector through their company, Persianas Limited. Till date, their smartest investment is The Palms, which sits on 45,000 square metres property in Lekki, Lagos, and has over 69 retail stores.
While he focuses on the property aspect of Persianas, it was gathered that his wife oversees the retailers. She reportedly secured the company’s franchises of Hugo Boss, Puma and Lacoste among others.
