South Africa: Retail Foods
Link to report:
The South African retail food sector is strong, despite the development of the COVID-19 crisis and the March 2020 national lockdown. The coronavirus outbreak has brought rapid changes to the South African retail sector, requiring a need to adapt to new ways of doing business such as online shopping. While some restrictions that have been implemented to reduce the spread of COVID-19, they have also resulted in negative effects to retail sales, constrained consumer spending, slowed GDP growth, and caused massive unemployment. However, South Africa is still the biggest market for food and beverage products in Southern Africa, and a gateway to other Sub-Saharan African countries. The South African retail sector`s growing need for diversification and to offer a wide range of products to consumers, still creates favorable opportunities for U.S. exporters of retail food and beverages who can offer quality products at competitive prices.