From its late entry into e-commerce to its ill-fated foray into fresh food, Walmart’s African journey over the past decade has been a series of missteps, along with turbulent economic winds and the coronavirus pandemic. But instead of walking away, as it did with failures in Britain and Germany, Walmart is digging deeper into the mud, with a plan to take over its African problem child that it unveiled in August.
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The strategy, according to nine analysts, investors and sources with direct knowledge of Walmart’s plans, is to first build MassSmart into a force capable of competing with brick-and-mortar stores and then to win the expected battle with Amazon for the future of e-commerce in Africa. Walmart plans to bring the entire plant e-commerce and its expertise into MasSmart,” said a source close to the acquisition plan. “A large investment is required to maintain relevance.”