Kenya is one of the most important economies in Africa and arguably the most important in East Africa. With a forecast economic growth rate of 5.8% for 2023, it is also one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Under the Kenya Vision 2030, the Government targeted to raise the share of products sold through the formal retail channels. In 2005, 5% of products where sold through formal retailers such as supermarkets. Today this figure is 30%. Only South Africa has a larger formal retail sector in Africa.
The other 70% of retail sales are through the informal sector, and understanding the retail industry in Kenya means that the informal sector cannot be ignored.
Frontline Research Group has been conducting retail census and audits in Kenya for many years and they understand the Kenyan retail industry, particularly the segment that retails alcohol, very well.
Monthly Retail Tracking of the alcohol retail industry
Liesl Pearson, Business Developer at Frontline Research Group says, “We conduct Monthly Retail Tracking of a sizeable retail outlet panel in Kenya were we track market growth and market size amongst other factors.”
The panel has been running since 2015 and the results provide long term trends in the market and reveal the impact that both macro and micro business environments have on the market movements.
“A host of measures are tracked on a monthly basis. These include market volumes and market value spend, availability and out of stocks, pricing, share of visible inventory (SOVI) and rate of sale pull through, at an SKU level, across beer, spirits and wines,” says Liesl.
All this data is also segmented by channel and region within Kenya.
Much insight is garnered from these panels. A typical example is that it was found that, as a result of the Covid pandemic, alcohol sales had shifted towards off premise outlets.
Liesl also says, “The panels help to answer questions such as what the effect of price increases have on market share and how are “out of stocks” affecting sales.”
Other vital information on stock availability, benchmarking against competitors and the tracking of new product launches is also presented.
Monthly Retail Tracking for Tobacco, Carbonated Soft Drinks, Energy Drinks and Dairy
Frontline Research Group are planning to expand this panel to include Tobacco, Carbonated Soft Drinks, Energy Drinks, and Dairy product,s in Kenya.
An opportunity exists to receive monthly tactical data for these products and thus develop executional strategies to win.
If you would like access to this data, please contact Liesl Pearson, Business Developer at Frontline Research Group on +27 82 441 7331 or email liesl.pearson@frontlineafrica.com.