Angola and Mozambique attract retail chains

Nosso Super, Angola

Angola and Mozambique have attracted major international retail chains and, according to the “African Retail Development Index” drawn up by A.T. Kearney, are among the 15 most attractive African countries for this type of investment.
The consultancy puts Angola in 3rd place among the most attractive African countries for international retail chains, behind Gabon and Botswana, and ahead of Nigeria, taking into account factors such as the size of the urban population, business efficiency and risk to investors, in the study published this month in New York.
Angola has one of the fastest growing African economies and retail and real estate are booming the consultancy said noting, however, that the Angolan middle class is still “small” and consumer spending is also low.
The sharp population increase and average income in Angola has made chains such as South Africa’s Spar, following the example of other South African groups such as Shoprite, decide to invest in the country, after Brazilian group Odebrecht was called in by the government to partner in the logistics management of state supermarket chain Nosso Super.
Among the major international chains that have been expanding in Africa are US company Wal-Mart, but also giants from South Africa such as Woolworths and Pick ‘n Pay Stores. In the study by A.T. Kearney, Mozambique emerged as the 15th most attractive country for these bonds.
The consultancy believes that the Mozambican retail sector is dominated by South African companies, particularly Shoprite, but also that the impact of economic growth, the highest in Africa, mainly related to mining activity is not felt to a great extent in the cities.
As in Angola, the Chinese community is strongly represented in the retail trade and has been investing in large stores. In Mozambique a new hypermarket recently opened that is managed by “Number One Supermarket” offering food, beverages, household appliances and other products, following an investment of US$2 million in the city of Quelimane, capital of Zambézia province.
According to Mozambican newspaper Notícias, in the medium term Chinese investors want to build a similar project in the city of Mocuba in central Zambézia province. MDT/Macauhub