Evolution of modern food retailing in Africa

What is it about?

This paper presents the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of the evolution of modern food retailing in Tanzania (from both retailers and suppliers’ perspectives). The study adopts a qualitative case approach with participants drawn from three sets of actors: retailers, local food suppliers, and government institutions. Data were collected using semi-structured interview format and thematic qualitative analytical technique was used for the data analysis. The results show that seven major factors account for the evolution of modern food retail in the country – namely (1) availability of suppliers, (2) acceptance of trade credit, (3) innovation, (4) lifestyle change, (5) institutional support, (6) convenience, (7) and availability of consumers. The study therefore extends the frontiers of available knowledge about modern food retailing in Africa.

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