Sagaci Research, a market intelligence firm dedicated to African markets, released a new report on shopping centers across the African continent. This report, the result of several months of investigation and information gathering in the field, highlights an extremely active market with important differences between countries and regions.
Across Africa, excluding South Africa, 211 shopping centers have been identified for a total surface of 4 million sqm (Gross Leasable Area, GLA). 69 of these centers are located in North Africa (33% of centers and 56% of the total surface), 23 in West Africa, 8 in Central Africa, 88 in East Africa and 23 in Southern Africa.
This report also provides a ranking of shopping centers across the continent based on their attractiveness for international tenants. The four most attractive malls, ranked AAA by Sagaci Research, are all located in North Africa (in Egypt and Morocco). In Sub-Saharan Africa, several shopping centers located in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya and Nigeria present high international standards and are ranked AA or A by Sagaci Research.
The publication also provides an analysis of the presence of international tenants in African shopping centers. A selected number of European and US brands (Bata, City Sport, Celio, Aldo, KFC, Adidas, Nike, Mango, Etam,…) are present in leading shopping centers in North and West Africa. South African brands (Shoprite, Woolworths, Truworths, Mr Price,…), historically well positioned in Southern and East Africa, are progressively towards West African markets and compete head-to-head with European and US brands.
In the coming years, boosted by the emergence of a middle class and by the expansion of international brands, the total shopping center surface should double to reach 8 million sqm by 2017, with 129 new shopping centers in project across the continent (including 17 in Egypt, 15 in Ghana, 14 in Zambia, 12 in Angola, 12 in Nigeria, 12 in Morocco…). Beyond these projects, some countries such as Nigeria, Angola, Tanzania and Ethiopia remain very attractive for developers with an unmet demand of 5 to 20 shopping centers in each country between now and 2017.
About Sagaci Research
Sagaci Research is a market intelligence firm dedicated to African markets. The firm, founded in 2012 by former consultants from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), publishes reports and databases on retail and consumer goods topics, statistical data on household consumption and conducts field studies in 12 countries of the continent. As such, Sagaci Research is the exclusive supplier of high-quality data and information on African economies for leading players.
