Saturated, but still preferred retail address

The Botswana’s retail sector has grown at a very fast pace led mostly by South African retailers that were seeking to diversify away from a saturated market in that country. Backed by a good supply chain infrastructure and growing shopping culture, Botswana has been fertile ground for retailers led by a number of well known retail giants such as Shoprite, Woolworths, Pick’n Pay, Spar and Massmart who have already gained foothold. Local chain stores like Choppies have also found their niche in the market and have subsequently expanded to the outside markets setting up shop in countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe and currently eyeing the Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania markets.

According to the 2015 AT Kearney’s African Retail Development Index (ARDI) Botswana has emerged as the second most attractive retail market in Africa after Gabon. The assessment that was done looked at attributes such as the market attractiveness, country risk, market saturation as well as the pressure from the competitors.