Game to open biggest store in Botswana. BD 17 Aug 2001

RETAILER Game, a member of the Massmart Group, will open a 50-million pula, 8000m² store, its biggest, in Gaborone.

It is also looking for opportunities to open stores in other African, and controlling the expansion project from Botswana.

The group has had a smaller store in Botswana since 1993, but as its turnover rose to make it one of top three among Game's 54 stores the group had to find a bigger building.

'Botswana was the first country out of SA in which we invested,' said MD Dan Barrett. 'We have since opened in Zambia and are now working from Botswana to open other stores in Africa.'

Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda and Tanzania were being considered. 'We are close to signing site leases in some of those countries.'

The expansion is being managed by Gaboronebased Andy Shaw, who opened the first Botswana Game six years ago and the second in Francistown. The new store will open in August 2002. It is part of Game City, a 150million pula development of 80 retail shops with 40000m² of floor space on a 1400ha site on the outskirts of Gaborone.

The development is by Turnstar Holdings, controlled by Botswana businessman Gulam Abdoola, with whom Game developed its first site in Botswana. Sapa.