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Take2

Historical e-commerce business acquired by Kim Reid and Tiger Global in 2010, before the formal Takealot.com launch in 2011.

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Take2 was the existing e-commerce business acquired by Kim Reid and Tiger Global Management in 2010. It is a predecessor business in Takealot’s history, not another name for Kalahari. This record covers that operating lineage rather than an unverified legal incorporation. [1][2]

History

Naspers’s Digital Horizon report places Take2 among the online platforms that emerged during the 2000s. It describes a period of rising internet and mobile access alongside consumer concerns about online transactions. The report does not establish an exact Take2 founding day or identify its original founders. [4]

Takealot’s official timeline records the acquisition in 2010 and the formal Takealot.com launch in 2011. These are distinct milestones. The acquired business supplied an existing operating starting point before the new identity launched. [1]

Predecessor, relaunch and later merger

Take2’s acquisition should not be confused with the Kalahari merger. The Competition Commission described Kalahari as a separate online retailer in its January 2015 announcement. That transaction came after the Takealot launch and involved another established operation. [2][1]

Kim Reid’s founder association on this page concerns the later Takealot venture. No founder link is assigned to Take2. This avoids transferring a founder label from a relaunch to the earlier business without supporting evidence. [1][3]

Frequently asked questions

Was Take2 the same business as Kalahari?

No. Take2 was the acquired predecessor of Takealot. Kalahari was the separate retailer in the 2015 merger. [1][2]

Is 2011 Take2’s founding year?

No such founding date is assigned here. The official timeline uses 2011 for the Takealot.com launch after the 2010 acquisition. [1]

Key milestones

  1. Digital Horizon places Take2 in the emerging online-platform sector of this decade. [4]

  2. Acquired by Kim Reid and Tiger Global Management. [1]

  3. Takealot.com formally launched after the acquisition. [1]

Related people

Related articles

Related institutions

  • Takealot — South African e-commerce business launched in 2011 after the Take2 acquisition, later combined with Kalahari and brought under Naspers control.
  • Kalahari.com — Historical online retailer combined with Takealot in 2015, in a transaction that also changed the principal shareholders’ interests.
  • Tiger Global Management — New York investment firm and historical financial backer of Takealot, involved in the Take2 acquisition and subsequent funding.

Sources

  1. Takealot Group, Our Journey: Take2 acquisition, launch, investment and Kalahari merger. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-18. ↩
  2. Competition Commission South Africa, Statement on merger decisions, 6 January 2015: Takealot and Kalahari, page 1, 2015-01-06. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-18. ↩
  3. Takealot Group, Kim Reid to become Takealot Group Chairman, 2021-02-26. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-18. ↩
  4. Naspers, Our Digital Horizon: The Economic Opportunity of Digital Platforms in South Africa 2024, page 46. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-18. ↩