Nigeria’s supermarket sector has grown from small neighbourhood stores into a multi-billion-naira retail industry serving millions of shoppers daily. Behind this growth are entrepreneurs and business leaders who have transformed how Nigerians shop, introducing modern retail formats, structured supply chains and improved customer experiences in an increasingly competitive market.
Many of these founders started small — some as single storefronts run out of family homes — before growing into retail giants with outlets across the country. Their businesses have survived economic downturns, currency fluctuations and rising inflation, while creating thousands of jobs and supporting local farmers and manufacturers.
Some built organised retail in Nigeria long before international supermarket chains arrived, while others introduced new concepts such as convenience stores, discount grocery formats and integrated retail ecosystems combining supermarkets, restaurants, manufacturing and shopping malls.
Here’s a look at the founders, chairmen and chief executives behind some of Nigeria’s biggest supermarket chains.
Sunday Egede And David Ojei — Prince Ebeano (9 Stores)
Sunday Egede and David Ojei built Prince Ebeano Supermarket through decades of entrepreneurial grit. Though often mistaken for brothers, Egede is actually Ojei’s maternal uncle — a bond the two have long described in fraternal terms.
Egede’s business journey began in the early 1990s, selling foodstuffs from a tiny room in Isolo, Lagos, where a wooden partition separated his shop from his sleeping quarters. Ojei took a different route, briefly working in private security after university and NYSC before leaving paid work in 1998 to start trading. After losing his first capital, he rebuilt by opening a provision store in Shomolu.
The pair formalised their partnership in 2009, founding Prince Ebeano Supermarket, which has since become one of Nigeria’s leading indigenous retail chains. In December 2021, the brand expanded internationally, opening a store in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
Sir Robert O. Anwatu — Roban Stores (10 Stores)
Sir Robert O. Anwatu trained as an accountant and worked in banking before moving into retail. After his NYSC in Benin, he launched a small gift shop, Robnat Gift, in 1985. Two years later, it was incorporated as Ultimate Gift Ltd., expanding to a second outlet in Warri in 1989 before relocating to Enugu in 1990.
In 1999, Ultimate Gift was rebranded as Roban Stores, and Anwatu founded Roban Group the same year, growing it into a business spanning retail and hospitality through Roban Stores and Roban Hotels.
Anwatu worked at Union Bank (then Barclays Bank) from 1976 to 1977 and later at a US accounting firm, Charles Cole & Co., in Arkansas. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accountancy from the University of Arkansas, and has served in various civic roles, including as president of the Enugu Chamber of Commerce.
Haresh Keswani — Artee Group / SPAR Nigeria (16 Stores)
Haresh Keswani founded Artee Group in 1998 as a wholesale business and has since grown it into a major force in Nigeria’s retail, real estate and manufacturing sectors. Under his leadership, the group secured the master franchise for SPAR International, bringing the global supermarket brand to Nigeria and expanding it to more than 15 hypermarkets and supermarkets in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and other cities.
Keswani has also driven Artee Group’s expansion into shopping mall development, opening its first mall in Port Harcourt in 2014, and formed partnerships with Dubai’s Landmark Group to bring brands like Babyshop, Lifestyle and Splash into the Nigerian market.
Dr. Mark Akhabue — Jendol Superstores (16 Stores)
Dr. Mark Akhabue founded JENDOL Nigeria Limited, launching the first JENDOL Superstore in Lagos in November 2016 alongside his wife and Executive Director, Oluwakemi Akhabue. The business has since grown to more than a dozen outlets across Lagos and Ogun states.
Before venturing into retail, Akhabue built a finance career across aviation, oil and gas, and healthcare, including roles at Hygeia Nigeria Limited (operators of Lagoon Hospitals), Advantium Oil and Gas, and Virgin Nigeria Airlines, where he served as Head of Treasury.
A chartered accountant, Akhabue holds an MBA and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He also holds an honorary Doctor of Science degree in recognition of his business leadership.
Sola Sun-Basorun — Foodco (22 Stores)
Mrs. Sola Sun-Basorun founded FoodCo Nigeria in 1981, starting as a small fruit and vegetable store in Ibadan while she worked at the University of Ibadan. She officially launched FoodCo as a supermarket in 1982 with a ₦5,000 bank loan.
Over four decades, she grew FoodCo into a diversified business spanning supermarkets, restaurants, entertainment centres and food manufacturing. After a major setback in the early 2000s forced the closure of several outlets, she rebuilt the company from its sole surviving store in Bodija.
FoodCo now operates more than 20 outlets across Oyo, Lagos and Ogun states. Sun-Basorun transitioned to Chairman in 2020, handing daily leadership to her son, Ade Sun-Basorun, now the company’s CEO. FoodCo has been recognised by the Financial Times as one of Africa’s fastest-growing companies.
Tayo Amusan — Ketron Investment / ShopRite (26 Stores)
Tayo Amusan is the founder and Chairman of Persianas Group, Nigeria’s largest indigenous retail and commercial real estate developer, and Chairman of Ketron Investment Limited, the consortium that acquired Shoprite’s Nigerian operations in 2021. He is widely credited with developing The Palms Shopping Mall in Lagos, Nigeria’s first international-standard mall.
Through Persianas Retail, Amusan’s group has brought international brands such as Puma, Lacoste and Hugo Boss to Nigeria. Under his leadership, Ketron Investment oversaw the transition of Shoprite Nigeria into a fully Nigerian-owned business. He is also a key investor in The Arena Lagos, a 12,000-capacity sports and entertainment venue.
Ebele Enunwa — Market Square (36 Stores)
Ebele Enunwa is the founder and CEO of Sundry Markets Limited, which operates Market Square, one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing indigenous supermarket chains. He launched the brand in 2015, and it now operates more than 40 outlets nationwide.
Before entering retail, Enunwa worked in banking as Regional Manager at Stanbic IBTC, overseeing operations across Nigeria’s South-South and South-East regions. In 2005, he founded Sundry Foods Limited, operator of the Kilimanjaro restaurant chain, before expanding into grocery retail.
Enunwa holds a degree in Accounting from the University of Ilorin and a master’s in Hospitality Management from Cornell University.
Dr. Ayodele Aderinwale And Mrs. Oluwatosin Aderinwale — Justrite (40 Stores)
Dr. Ayodele Aderinwale, MFR, co-founded Justrite Limited in 2000 with his wife, Mrs. Oluwatosin Aderinwale. The business has grown into a supermarket chain with up to 40 stores across Lagos, Ogun and Osun states.
Aderinwale is also a development specialist and governance expert, serving as Executive Director of the Africa Leadership Forum (ALF). He holds degrees in Political Science and Political Economy from the University of Lagos and has completed executive leadership programmes at Harvard University and the United Nations University.
Under the couple’s leadership, Justrite has attracted institutional investment, including a minority stake from AfricInvest, to support its expansion, strengthen governance and digitalise operations
