CCA assesses Kamoso shareholding
Competition and Consumer Authority ( CCA) is assessing the proposed acquisition of 76 percent shareholding of Kamoso Africa by Choppies Distribution Centre.
Choppies Distribution Centre is directly controlled by its sole shareholder, Choppies Enterprises Limited. It operates a chain of 100 stores across Botswana and is active in the grocery supermarket sector. Its directors include Ramachandran Ottapathu ( Motswana) and 26 Indians, one Sri Lankana and an Egyptian.
Kamoso is a private company registered in Botswana and is not controlled by any enterprises but its largest shareholder is Lapef 2 Rmbv7 Kamoso Limited ( IA- RMBV), a company registered in accordance to the Laws of Mauritius with a shareholding of 45.17 percent.
Other shareholders of Kamoso are Newshelf 1392 ( RF) [ Pty] Ltd Botswana Development Corporation Limited ( BDC), Ramachandran Ottapathu and Narayanan Ottappath. IA- RMBV does not control any entities in Botswana.
Kamoso directly controls 10 companies which generally operate in three major divisions namely: manufacturing, supplying, and distribution.
Kamoso group’s product range consists of fast- moving consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, liquor, building materials and equipment. The company services most of the retail and healthcare industries. It sources and distributes both local and international brands, from groceries to beverages and personal care throughout the region.
Specifically, Kamoso’s subsidiaries are involved in medical distribution, liquor retailer, liquor wholesaler, hardware accessories retailer, distributor, rice and spice packaging, sorghum manufacturing, maize meal manufacturing, tissue manufacturing, and water bottling plant.
Directors of Kamoso are Andrew Guthrie Aitken ( South African), Gerben Jan Dijkstra ( Dutch), Aliya Farah Shariff ( Canadian), Shyam Kumar Chittayil ( Indian), Maranyane Makhondo, Tshepo Lemo ( Batswana).
The Competition and Consumer Authority stated that it therefore seeks any stakeholder views concerning the proposed merger. “According to section 50 ( 3) of the Competition Act 2018, any person, including a third party not a party to the proposed merger, may voluntarily submit to the inspector or the Authority any document, affidavit, statement or other relevant information in respect of a proposed merger.”