Retailing

In the review period, especially in private environments, vending witnessed various innovations, such as the implementation of telemetry or biometrics (a system that works with fingerprint recognition). These methods, applied to the Colombian market,…

The importance of hypermarkets is in decline in grocery retailing in Colombia, since people prefer to buy in smaller formats and seek differentiated and niche offers. In this light, players have turned to generating smaller supermarkets like Carulla…

Neighbourhood grocery stores offer closeness and convenience, since their portfolio is small. However, small local grocers’ ability to play with prices and maintain margins is limited. Given the inexorable growth in prices in the last year of the…

During 2021 and 2022 retail saw healthy current value sales growth across formats in Colombia. Against forecasts, household consumption sustained the country's economy and kept it on a growth path. This was highly visible in the country’s retail…

E-commerce has gained considerable momentum due to the economic recovery of activities and the confidence with which consumers have adapted to digital tools and virtual channels. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic fostered rapid progress in the…

With different strategies, the large retail chains are betting on infrastructure changes to make selling spaces in large outlets more efficient. Large stores by themselves are no longer perceived to be a competitive advantage or added-value aspect.…

Pet shops and superstores recorded the fastest growth in terms of the number of outlets in 2022. This supported further good, if slower, retail current value increment. The development and growth of the channel continued to be backed by fast retail…

Skin care and make-up represent growth categories within beauty and personal care in Colombia, supported by an explosion of new brands and the greater ease of connecting with consumers through the internet. In this vein, there were increases in the…

Variety stores enjoyed a boom in Colombia in the review period. The arrival of new brands and the consolidation of others underpinned the channel’s success. The leading brands, such as Miniso, Dollarcity, Inkanta, Morph, Pylones and Magasin, were…

After a long process in which the company filed for bankruptcy, and after several salvage attempts, the Superintendency of Companies ruled the judicial liquidation of Mercadería’s Justo & Bueno brand. While a salvage plan could still be established,…

Colombia, despite relatively small retailing sales in general, stands out in terms of the direct selling channel, in which it is one of the main markets in the world. Direct selling is as an important employer in Colombia, especially of women, who…

The main chained players made a strong commitment to the express and convenience formats. Thus, Almacenes Éxito and Cencosud Colombia launched express formats and made strong investments to generate an offer coalescing indulgence, convenience and…

Announced in 2019, the government’s 3-day’s free from VAT (value-added tax) plan was given new impetus with the onset of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020. On these three days, the government did not charge VAT on purchases. This…

According to figures published by Inexmoda, fashion-related consumption in the country accounted for a low single-digit share of the cost of the family basket. Companies active in fashion categories have brought innovation to sales channels through…

Chained warehouse clubs represents a relatively novel model in the Colombian market, with only one significant player: PriceSmart. The business model, which involves paid membership of the club, saw good initial growth, suggesting that Colombian…

Traditionally, most variety stores in Colombia have been family enterprises with a strong impact in neighbourhoods in which they perform as independent small grocers as part of a diverse ecosystem of traditional stores. These stores form an essential…

Despite facing significant challenges, traditional grocery retailing continues to play a crucial role in the local retailing environment for many Colombian neighbourhoods. The channel provides key business opportunities for families and outlets tend…

Mobile e-commerce experienced dynamic growth since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last mile apps, such as Rappi, Merqueo and Uber Eats, played a key role in driving the channel’s growth during the year. Providing low-value purchases and…

Homeshopping has been significantly impacted by the expansion of e-commerce in recent years, as online shopping also provides consumers with the convenience of ordering from home and having products delivered, but offers access to a broader range of…

The COVID-19 crisis has made the domestic environment even more central to the experiences of the Colombian consumer. Home seclusion, remote working and distance learning have bolstered demand for a range of home and garden products. Kitchen products…