Shoprite Group has acquired a majority stake in R&A Cellular, a point-of-sale platform serving South Africa’s informal retail sector, as part of a push to extend its financial services offering beyond its own store network.
The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, will see Shoprite expand its Money Market financial services ecosystem into spaza shops and other informal merchants in townships and peri-urban areas.
R&A Cellular operates a point-of-sale platform that allows informal retailers to sell prepaid airtime and electricity and gaming and entertainment products, and to accept card-based payments. The company already has an existing relationship with Shoprite, enabling the sale of Shoprite vouchers through its devices.
“This partnership marks a transformational moment for R&A Cellular,” said founder and CEO Rui Campos in a statement on Monday. “By aligning with Shoprite Group, we are combining deep retail scale with our technology and prepaid expertise to accelerate financial inclusion and unlock greater value for traders and communities across South Africa.”
Jean Olivier, GM for financial services at Shoprite, said R&A Cellular has “built a sound business with a strong management team and a platform that is well regarded in the market”.
“By combining our scale in everyday financial services with R&A Cellular’s established presence in the informal retail space, we are creating a practical way to expand access to essential services, lower barriers to participation and support the communities that rely on informal retailers,” he said.
Money Market
For Shoprite, the deal represents a natural extension of the Money Market platform it has built across its store network and digital channels. The group sees informal retailers as high-frequency transaction points that can serve as access points for financial and digital services in communities that are often far from formal banking outlets or shopping centres.
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For informal retailers, the integration is expected to broaden the range of services they can offer, potentially increasing foot traffic and reducing reliance on cash.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. — (c) 2026 NewsCentral Media
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