Brands/Products
SweepSouth Acquires Filkhedma to Penetrate Egyptian Market
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An Egyptian start-up, Filkhedma, has been acquired by SweepSouth, a South African-based company also currently operating in Kenya and Nigeria.
“We are thrilled to have Filkhedma as part of the SweepSouth family,” the CEO and co-founder of SweepSouth, Ms Aisha Pandor, stated.
“It’s not only their services that align with ours, but also their values and culture. Just like us, Filkhedma is passionate about providing quality and trusted home services, while creating work opportunities for those who need it most,” she added.
“We’ve proven our technology and operational expertise in numerous markets in sub-Saharan Africa, and this acquisition gives us the opportunity to extend that reach into Egypt, a huge market with millions of households.
“Coming together with the Filkhedma team represents the next phase of building SweepSouth into a global platform that will continue to expand our services not only on the continent but further abroad as well,” the co-founder of the firm, Mr Alen Ribic added.
Filkhedma is Egypt’s leading home services marketplace operating across three regions on the continent and serving tens of thousands of customers with cleaning, maintenance, and beauty services while empowering over 2,000 service providers through technology with consistent incomes and professional development.
“We are happy with this incredible milestone and excited about joining forces with the SweepSouth team to fulfil our vision of empowering providers and delivering quality services in Africa and beyond.
“We already have well over 2 000 service providers on our platform and we’re confident that with the backing of SweepSouth, we will be able to sign up many more and expand into neighbouring countries, too,” the CEO of Filkhedma, Mr Omar Ramadan, stated.
Under the new arrangement, Mr Ramadan will play a key role in the executive team of the combined entity and that all employees of Filkhedma will stay on.
The acquisition means that SweepSouth will be one of a few African start-ups operating in the continent’s four key tech ecosystems of South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria. It also means that all markets will have access to new services almost immediately, while the company as a whole will be primed for further expansion into other parts of Africa and the Middle East.
For South Africa, the biggest change will be the imminent rollout of beauty services. This will include manicures and pedicures, hair care and makeup services that can be done at home. This not only gives SweepSouth customers access to more services, but it also gives entrepreneurs in the field the opportunity to list on the platform. This, in turn, allows access to a larger pool of potential customers.
For Egypt, the company will benefit from SweepSouth’s technology, as well as the indoor and outdoor home cleaning services already available in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.
Naspers Foundry Head, Fabian Whate, said, “This acquisition has the potential to yield significant synergies. Filkhedma is an excellent business and is aligned to SweepSouth’s ambitions to expand its service offering and gain access to high growth markets across the region.
“Egypt’s growing middle class and rising financial inclusion and internet penetration, offer huge opportunities for the combined home services platform of the two companies. Helping high-potential early-stage tech companies scale is central to what Naspers Foundry does and we’re particularly excited about this milestone in SweepSouth’s journey.”
“We are very excited to see this partnership happen and the prospects of this combined entity,” said Tarek Assaad, Managing Partner at Algebra Ventures, the lead investor in Filkhedma. “Filkhedma pioneered the home services industry to become the largest player in Egypt, and this consolidation with SweepSouth demonstrates the parallel fits between Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa. Companies partnering across the continent pave the way to cross-border investments, and highlight that we are one step closer in addressing the untapped opportunities existing in Africa’s key markets.”
“Egypt has been a strong economic player on the continent for many years,” notes Pandor. “The country has a strong, and growing, middle-class that has been underserved in the domestic home services arena. With a compelling economic growth track record and outlook, and an economy that has been resilient in the face of challenging times, it made sense for us to eye this market for our next big leap.”
“We are entering a rapid growth phase and executing on a number of other new country launches in 2022,” adds Pandor. “Having the Filkhedma team on board is particularly exciting as it’s an intra-African acquisition by two companies in the same vertical. This acquisition almost doubles our addressable market on the continent and enhances the products and services that we already offer.”
“We are particularly excited about the growth prospects this acquisition presents us with,” Ramadan notes. “Already we have a string of new software updates coming thanks to this acquisition and we are also able to offer our expertise in onboarding our popular services, such as air conditioning technicians, satellite dish installations and home appliance repairs, in other regions.”
“I look forward to working with Aisha, her co-founder Alen Ribic, and their team as we enter this exciting new chapter,” he concludes.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Chief Executive Officer of Mediacraft Associates Limited, Mr John Ehiguese, has been appointed as the chairman of the Training and Education Committee of the Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
“I am delighted to inform you that the Executive Council of the Lagos State Chapter has approved your appointment as the Chairman, Training and Education Committee of the Chapter,” a letter dated January 17, 2022, and signed by the chairman of the PR body, Ms Comfort Nwankwo, stated.
It was stated that Mr Ehiguese was chosen for the position because of his leadership, passion and contributions to the advancement of quality education and training for communications professionals in the country. The NIPR Education Committee has a total of 10 members.
“In constituting your committee, the painstaking effort has been made to choose discerning, bright and knowledgeable professionals of impeccable character, professional accomplishments having held long-time leadership roles representing significant stakeholder groups,” another part of the letter stated.
“By this appointment, we are confident that you will bring your deep knowledge and invaluable experience to bear on this exciting assignment,” she added.
In his remarks, Mr Ehiguese expressed his appreciation for the appointment, promising to put in his best to help strengthen the institute’s training and master class programmes.
“I am deeply honoured to be appointed to head such a critical committee. I am confident that as a committee, we will put in our best to further strengthen the institute’s training and education programmes,” the renowned PR practitioner said.
Mr Ehiguese, who founded Mediacraft, a leading PR firm in the country, over 18 years ago, has close to 30 years of experience in public relations and communications.
A consummate professional, Mr Ehiguese has contributed immensely to the development of PR in Nigeria. He was at one-time president of the Public Relations Consultant Association of Nigeria (PRCAN). He is on the Board of Management of International Communications Consultants Organization (ICCO) and has functioned in the ICCO as a judge for the body’s Global PR Award.
He remains a strong advocate of support by the government for local PR players through patronage and partnerships.
Last year, Mr Ehiguese instituted a training and mentorship programme for mass communications undergraduates and prospective PR practitioners, as part of his contributions to the growth of the industry.
In recognition of his invaluable contributions, Mr Ehiguese has won several industry awards, including the Best Public Relations practitioner in 2019 and a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2021 Lagos PR Industry Gala & Awards (LaPRIGA).
By Adedapo Adesanya
Power Black Energy drink, a Turkish energy drink with a presence in over 35 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, has landed in Nigeria, being the first and only energy drink in Nigeria with a hygienic cover.
Speaking at a recent launch, the Marketing Manager of Frisson Nigeria Limited, the sole distributor of Power Black Energy Drink in Nigeria, Mr Ojotobor Samuel, said Power Black Energy Drink is a premium energy drink that offers Nigerians needed the power to achieve their goals with class and finesse.
Mr Ojotobor said as the first and only energy drink with a hygienic cover in Nigeria, Power Black seeks to encourage healthy consumption of energy drinks whereby consumers do not have to finish the can of drink at a go as it can be preserved with the hygienic cover all day long.
The Frisson Nigeria boss said Power Black Energy Drink is made with clean water, sugar glucose syrup, carbon dioxide, acidity regulator (Citric acid & Sodium citrate), Taurine, Vitamins B2, B3, B5 and B6. These ingredients, according to him enrich the human body with desired energy and account for the positive effect on the cognitive performance of every individual.
He added that there is no negative side effect to Power Black energy drink if consumed in moderation and advised Nigerians that it is healthy to consume everything, including water in moderation.
Validating the claims of the distributing firm, a representative of the manufacturer, Ares Gida Manufacturing-Turkey, Mr Recep Yildiz said Power Black Energy drink is made with finest of ingredients and purest of water and it guarantees good health and energy for Nigerians.
He added that the brand is the leading brand in the energy drinks market of countries like Spain, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Chad, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Mali.
As the latest entrant in the Nigerian market, the company has noted that the brand will soon take its leadership position in Nigeria.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Customers of Jumia will enjoy free delivery of goods shopped on the prominent e-commerce platform via the Jumia Express orders.
A statement from the company said this offering is part of its Free Delivery campaign designed to incentivize consumers to shop online, especially on the platform.
The Free Delivery campaign on Jumia Express orders is mainly available for consumers in Lagos and Abuja.
According to the firm, the deal will be valid for all Jumia Express (items stored at the Jumia warehouse) orders above N4,999 in Lagos and Abuja, excluding large items.
The campaign, one of the first for the year, is among several initiatives the company is putting together to encourage consumers to continue shopping on the platform while enjoying a rewarding online shopping experience.
Commenting on the initiative, the chief executive of Jumia Nigeria, Mr Massimiliano Spalazzi, stated that, “We want Nigerians to conveniently shop online without having to worry about delivery fees.”
“That is why we are introducing the cost-saving promo to enable them to buy more while spending less,” he further stated.
Jumia is unarguably the biggest online shopping platform in Africa, with operations in Nigeria and other countries.
It is also one trust e-commerce company used by online shoppers to purchase different ranges of items, including raw and cooked foods.
-
Feature/OPED2 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Economy5 years ago
Kwara Disburses N1.7b For Projects
-
Travel/Tourism5 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Technology1 year agoHow To Link Your MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile Lines to NIN
-
Economy5 years agoHow To Identify Fake Naira Notes
-
Banking4 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy4 years agoFAAC: FG, States, LGs Share N655.18b in January
-
Economy4 years agoNSE Market Capitalisation Sheds N76b as Sell‐offs Persist
Pingback: SweepSouth Acquires Filkhedma to Penetrate Egyptian Market | Business Post Nigeria – Business Post Nigeria