Cameroon’s Neptune Group Enters Supermarket Market With CFA6 Billion Maithé Mall

Cameroon’s Neptune Group has entered the country’s large-scale retail market with the opening of its first Maithé Mall, a CFA6 billion investment that also extends the group’s diversification beyond its better-known fuel distribution business.

Trade Minister Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana inaugurated the shopping center on Aug. 26 in Obala, near Yaoundé. Maithé Mall is the latest business developed by Neptune, the conglomerate founded and led by Cameroonian businessman Antoine Ndzengué.

Mbarga Atangana said the new mall reflects the dynamism of Cameroon’s economy and retail sector, as well as the growing role of domestic operators in large-scale distribution. He also welcomed the decision to locate the project in Obala, saying it helps extend modern retail beyond the country’s major cities into secondary urban centers.

Ndzengué said the investment was intended to address a local need after observing residents travel long distances to access certain products and services.

Urbanization drives retail expansion

The two-story Maithé Mall is equipped with an escalator and includes a bakery, butcher shop, restaurant, fresh and dry food sections and children’s play areas. The complex also includes a gas station and a financial services outlet operated by ABC Finance, Neptune Group’s microfinance company.

The investment, including equipment, is officially estimated at CFA6 billion. It brings Neptune into an increasingly competitive retail market where foreign chains such as Carrefour, Super U, Casino and Mahima now compete with established local operators including Dovv, Santa Lucia and Belavie.

The growing number of retailers reflects the expansion of Cameroon’s large-scale distribution sector in recent years, supported by rapid urbanization in major cities and the emergence of a growing middle class.

Neptune broadens its business portfolio

Maithé Mall also advances Neptune Group’s broader diversification strategy. The company is best known for petroleum product distribution through Neptune Oil but has expanded into several other industries in recent years.

Its businesses include freight transportation through Petro Services et Logistique, port logistics through Titima, healthcare through Curaday and food services through Maithé Food. The group also controls ABC Finance and is preparing to move from importing new tires to manufacturing them locally through Cameroon Tyres Factory Project SA.

That company is expected to begin construction of a tire plant worth more than CFA400 billion in Bekoko, on the outskirts of Douala. In May, India’s GHV Infra Projects Limited announced that it had received a letter of intent to develop the project under an engineering, procurement and construction contract.

The planned factory is expected to have annual production capacity of 7.6 million new tires.

Brice R. Mbodiam