COMPANY NEWS IN BRIEF

Blow to Vodacom, Vumatel deal

The Competition Commission has recommended that Vodacom not be allowed to become a large shareholder in Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa (DFA).

As part of a deal worth more than R13 billion, Vodacom wanted to buy an initial 30% stake (with an option to quickly increase it to 40%) in Remgro-owned Maziv, which owns the two fibre infrastructure groups.

Vumatel is South Africa’s largest fibre-to-the-home network operator, while DFA provides fibre services in and between the country’s towns and cities.

Last year, a group of more than 200 internet service providers (ISPs) objected to the proposed deal, which they said would result in market dominance in the industry.

They were specifically concerned about getting access to wholesale fibre offerings from Vodacom, which currently only offers access to certain ISPs.

As part of the new deal, Vodacom and the other parties committed to "open access", which means it can't exclude ISPs and must treat them all the same. - Fin24

Daystar Power pushing into SA market

Shell-owned Daystar Power is pushing into the South African market, where the solar provider expects rapid growth due to record power cuts.

South Africa has seen a surge in alternative power systems as state-owned utility Eskom fails to meet demand. Daystar is opening offices in Johannesburg less than a year after Shell bought the business.

"There is such a dire need in South Africa with load-shedding and the impact it is having on the economy," Wendy Green, Daystar's new South Africa head, said in an interview. "Our main strategy is to grow organically, but we are not closed to acquisition opportunities in order to grow faster."

Daystar is the first power firm to be acquired by Shell on the continent, and was originally focused on West Africa. Growth plans include opening an office in Tanzania, said Green, who previously worked on energy projects for South African miner Exxaro Resources and chemical and fuel maker Sasol.

South Africa could potentially become Daystar's biggest market as it plans to build up to 120 megawatts of solar power, out of a continent-wide target of 400 megawatts by 2025, according to Green. The company installs solar power systems that can be combined with batteries and generators.-Fin24

Shoprite launching cashless upmarket stores

Shoprite is launching new cashless upmarket convenience stores, in a move which market analysts say could prove to be a headache for its rivals. The first OK Urban opened its doors in Durbanville, Cape Town last month.

No cash payments are allowed, with Shoprite saying this will help to reduce "cash-associated safety risks".

It follows the launch of its UNIQ clothing store brand earlier this year, which also operates on a cashless basis. Customers will also be able to sign up for a loyalty card that can be used for transactions and which will also offer promotions.

Shoprite says the new OK Urban stores will be focused on sustainability, with digital-only leaflets (instead of printed paper) and paper or reusable material shopper bags.

Chris Reddy, portfolio manager at All Weather Capital, says Shoprite is clearly targeting the typical Woolworths customer.

For Reddy, the launch of Shoprite's upmarket clothing brand UNIQ in March was its first salvo in its latest bid to eat Woolworths' lunch, seemingly going head-to-head with the retailer's fashion, beauty and home division's offering.-Fin24