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Insights Centre
Sectors

Retail

Who sells where, which chains are expanding, what each catchment holds and where shoppers are underserved.

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Value added by trade, restaurants and hotels across SADCUS$119bn15.0% of output · +1.0% a year, last five years
SADC exports of the pillar's goodsUS$16.9bn2024
Deals in the last 12 months8Values rarely disclosed · 29 tracked in all
Subsectors104 with trade data

What this page answers

  • Where are the malls, supermarkets and wholesalers, and which chains are expanding where?
  • What does a catchment hold, and how fast is it growing?
  • Where are new catchments forming, and which areas are underserved?
  • Which malls and anchor tenants are announced?

South Africa has SADC's largest trade, restaurants and hotels sector, at US$49.9bn

Value added by trade, restaurants and hotels, US$, latest year, with its share of each economy

South AfricaUS$49.9bn13.8% of the economy
AngolaUS$23.5bn20.5% of the economy
DRCUS$11.7bn16.7% of the economy
TanzaniaUS$8.3bn10.9% of the economy
ZimbabweUS$6.6bn15.2% of the economy
ZambiaUS$4.9bn20.4% of the economy
BotswanaUS$2.9bn15.9% of the economy
MauritiusUS$2.4bn18.5% of the economy
MozambiqueUS$2.0bn10.0% of the economy
MadagascarUS$1.9bn11.7% of the economy
NamibiaUS$1.7bn14.3% of the economy
MalawiUS$1.4bn12.3% of the economy
EswatiniUS$793m17.2% of the economy
SeychellesUS$341m18.7% of the economy
ComorosUS$317m20.9% of the economy
LesothoUS$198m9.6% of the economy
Source: UN Statistics Division·dotzedw Insights Centre

DRC leads SADC on population

Population, people, latest year for each country. Click a bar for that country's retail page.

020m40m60m80m100m120mDRC112.8mTanzania70.5mSouth Africa64.7mAngola39.0mMozambique35.6mMadagascar32.7mMalawi22.2mZambia21.9mZimbabwe17.0mNamibia3.1mBotswana2.6mLesotho2.4mEswatini1.3mMauritius1.2mComoros883kSeychelles123kmedian 19.4m

Source: World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Subsectors

10 in this pillar

Grocery and household goods

Tracks
Supermarket and small-shop chains and their outlets, chains new to each country, packaged food and household goods imported and exported by value and weight, and growth in household spending.
Signals ahead
Growing suburbs with no supermarket within 15 minutes, mall announcements, chains' expansion guidance.
Chains new in the last year6since 2024-12Game (ZAF) 99Market Liquors (ZAF) 20Econo Foods (LSO) 4Market Liquors (NAM) 2E.Leclerc Express (BWA) 110 left or stopped listing outlets.

Select a figure for its trend. Source: CEPII BACI, All The Places, dotzedw deals tracker.

Trade in detail

SADC sold US$8.8bn of grocery and household goods abroad in 2024, up 29.7% on five years earlier

Exports and imports of the products in this subsector by the 16 SADC countries, US$ (HS 0402, 1006, 1101, 1507, 1508, 1511, 1512, 1517, 1701, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 3401, 3402, 4818)

0$5bn$10bn$15bn2012201420162018202020222024ExportsUS$8.8bnImportsUS$14.5bn
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Largest exporters, 2024

South AfricaUS$5.1bn
MauritiusUS$630m
TanzaniaUS$627m
ZambiaUS$508m
EswatiniUS$473m
DRCUS$358m
MozambiqueUS$267m
SeychellesUS$244m

Where the exports go

SADCUS$4.6bn
European UnionUS$1.4bn
Rest of the worldUS$847m
Rest of AfricaUS$661m
United KingdomUS$492m
United StatesUS$381m
United Arab EmiratesUS$111m
IndiaUS$84m

Main products, 2024

Sugar (170114)US$700m
Prepared fish (160414)US$573m
Cocoa beans, whole or broken, raw or roasted (180100)US$521m
Wine (220421)US$463m
Rice (100630)US$381m
Sugar (170113)US$326m

Each country's trade in grocery and household goods every year since 2012, by partner is part of the Individual plan

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Open these deals in the deals tracker

What SADC sells abroad across retail

SADC exports by subsector, 2024, US$. A product can count in two subsectors.

Grocery and household goodsUS$8.8bn+30% on five years earlier
Fuel forecourts and convenienceUS$4.2bn+30% on five years earlier
Clothing, furniture and general merchandiseUS$3.4bn-9% on five years earlier
Pharmacy retailUS$524m+7% on five years earlier
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Who is moving

Open in the deals tracker

8 deals in the last 12 months across SADC, placed in subsectors by what they say.

Sources and method