By 1979, Pep Stores made its foray into the food retailing business with its acquisition of Shoprite, a small chainofretailoutlets spread across South Africa.
Undaunted, Green set his sights on British Home Stores, the country's fifth-largest retailchain: 156 outlets with 4.4 million square feet of space stocked with everything from housewares to bridesmaids' dresses.