Large food retailer Shoprite has condemned violent attacks on foreign nationals and businesses on the African continent.

"The retailer is highly concerned about the acts of xenophobic violence against foreign nationals that sporadically flare up and the resultant rhetoric of intolerance that is levelled against foreigners and the platform this creates for criminals to exploit this," the Shoprite Group said in a statement.

The statement comes after Nigerian protesters took to the streets of Lagos on Tuesday to vent their anger after the violence inflicted on foreigners in SA.

The protesters threw stones and destroyed property around the area, targeting South African businesses such as MTN, Shoprite and MultiChoice. They were unable to access the Shoprite building after soldiers were deployed to protect it.

"As a company with deep African roots which employs thousands of African nationals and works to bring affordable prices to consumers in 15 countries on the continent, we would like to see an end to xenophobia across the continent,” the retail group said. 

 “Several stores in South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia are today unable to open due to protest action and extensive damage has been done to several supermarkets over the past 24 hours, impacting the lives of millions of law-abiding people. 

“We remain committed to engage with government, industry and consumer groups so that decisive action is taken against those involved in violent crimes and intimidation against foreign nationals as well as to convey our strong position against xenophobia,” said Shoprite.