Nigeria Retail

Home to the largest consumer market on the continent, Nigeria offers attractive opportunities for investors and retailers that apply growth strategies tailored to specific consumer preferences and take into account distribution challenges. While macroeconomic headwinds and currency volatility have weighed on consumer spending power in recent...

Although informal physical retail sales continue to dominate the Nigerian market, e-commerce has experienced exponential growth in recent years, culminating in a significant push towards online shopping in 2020-21 in the face of pandemic-induced lockdowns.

Following a decade-long period of growth, in which formal retail supplies more than tripled, Nigeria’s retail sector faced several challenging years. Macroeconomic volatility, a recession in 2016 and the naira’s rapid depreciation impacted retailers and consumers alike. Likewise, both purchasing power and household incomes declined, while...

Nigeria’s e-commerce sector holds considerable potential for future growth, with sales set to double between 2016 and 2020. In recent years major African e-retailers have established operations in the country, with Zinox Technologies’ recent acquisition of Konga highlighting the sector’s growth potential and attractiveness to foreign investors...

In January 2017 Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, announced a shift in its strategy for Africa. “The bedrock of our business is really where the bulk of the population resides,” John Martin Miller, the company’s senior vice-president for Africa, Asia and Oceania, told international media in Lagos. “For the next five to 10...

Given Nigeria’s demographics, the country’s retail sector holds significant potential. However, in line with many other African economies, formal retailing remains nascent and accounts for just 5% of all shopping. With 180m consumers in the country, there is ample room for growth, but navigating domestic hurdles has proven difficult. Currency...