Regional integration and the role of supermarkets - an interview with Reena das Nair
Channel: UNU-WIDER
Date: 2015-09-08

In this interview, Reena das Nair of the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) provides information about  research on supermarket value chains in Southern Africa. The focus is on supermarket chains from South Africa and other SADCC countries including recent entrants into the regional market, notably Choppies from Botswana. 

The research is addressing how supermarket strategies are evolving to address segmented markets in the region. The research also looks at local content, as suppliers from e.g. Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe often have difficulty providing processed food and household consumables to the quality and volume requirements of supermarket chains at a cost-competitive price, so that South African suppliers usually dominate provision. 

To date, there has been little research on the competition dynamics between supermarket chains in the SADCC region. This research aims to help rectify this.