Shoprite Moves Into Informal Retail Tech With R&A Cellular Stake

Shoprite Moves Into Informal Retail Tech With R&A Cellular Stake. The Shoprite Group has taken a step to expand its financial services ecosystem into South Africa’s informal economy through the planned acquisition of a majority stake in R&A Cellular. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval.

The move signals Shoprite’s intention to extend access to financial and digital services by working through community based retailers. These include spaza shops and informal merchants that are already central to daily transactions in townships and peri urban areas.

R&A Cellular operates a point of sale platform widely used by informal retailers. Through this system, traders are able to provide prepaid airtime and electricity, as well as gaming and entertainment products. The platform also supports card based payment acceptance, enabling a broader range of transactions.

These services are used frequently, positioning informal retailers as accessible service points within their communities. The partnership aims to build on this existing role by introducing additional financial and value added services through the same channels.

Rui Campos, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of R&A Cellular, described the development as a significant milestone for the company. He said the alignment with Shoprite combines retail scale with existing technology and prepaid expertise, with the aim of expanding access to services and supporting traders and communities.

Shoprite has developed financial service capabilities through its Money Market offering, which operates across its store network and digital platforms. Extending these services into informal retail environments forms part of the group’s broader approach to financial inclusion.

Jean Olivier, General Manager for Financial Services at Shoprite, said the partnership brings together the group’s scale in everyday financial services with R&A Cellular’s established presence in informal retail. He noted that this combination creates a practical way to expand access to services and support communities that rely on informal traders.

For customers, the integration of Shoprite’s services into the R&A Cellular platform is expected to enable more transactions to be completed closer to where they live. This could reduce the need to travel to shopping centres or banking outlets.

For informal retailers, the platform provides access to a wider range of services. This may support increased customer visits, improved cash flow management, and reduced reliance on cash transactions.

The acquisition builds on an existing relationship between the two companies, with R&A Cellular already facilitating the sale of Shoprite vouchers through its devices.