Insights From 20 Years Of Industry Analysis

Trade Intelligence has been providing insights on the South African FMCG retail sector for 20 years. To celebrate this milestone, we will be publishing a series of articles and white papers on some of the major changes and trends we have seen in this time.

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In 2004, when Trade Intelligence opened for business, there had been surprisingly little movement in South Africa’s grocery retail sector since the end of Apartheid.

However, in the early years of the new Millennium, South Africa’s formal retailers began to target the townships, which had previously been off-limits due to zoning regulations.

Other forces also buffeted the sector – changing consumer behaviour, the rise of digital and mobile technology, and, as South Africa’s borders opened up, the arrival of foreign competitors. It was assumed that this would lead to a decline in the informal trade. In fact, the sector has proven surprisingly resilient – adapting to new threats, adopting new technology, and continuing to serve people in townships even as the townships themselves were changing.

In this white paper, we explore some of these changes, and what they mean for retailers and suppliers alike.