Unlocking Nigeria’s industrial potential through multichain retail, By Dipo Baruwa

Introduction

Multichain stores have historically played a crucial role in shaping consumer behaviour, standardising products, and strengthening distribution networks. In Nigeria, the story has been no different. From the pioneering days of multinational corporations such as Kingsway Stores and Leventis, to the more recent presence of Shoprite, SPAR, and now the emergence of domestically owned stores such as Justrite Superstores, Market Square, Roban Stores, Prince Ebeano, and a host of others, multichain stores have not only provided consumers with access to diverse goods but also reinforced linkages across manufacturing, logistics, finance, and insurance.

However, the steady divestment or outright closure of several of these stores in recent decades has created visible gaps in Nigeria’s commerce value chain, with implications for industrial productivity, consumer protection, and overall economic development. While e-commerce offers consumers a viable alternative, its impact on domestic value chain development remains limited compared to the structural role once played by physical multichain stores in terms of engaging with and strengthening the broader economy. 

Nigeria’s commercial landscape is marked by a rich history of multichain retail. As early as 1932, when the Bata Shoe Company opened its first store in the country, the Nigerian consumer goods sector began witnessing the rise of retail giants. The United Africa Company (UAC) established Kingsway Stores in 1948, while the Leventis Group opened Leventis Stores in the 1960s. These stores, alongside UTC and Domino Stores, not only transformed shopping culture in Nigeria but also laid the foundation for modern retail and distribution systems that supported industrial and economic growth.

With the industrial boom that followed Nigeria’s independence, the consumer goods retail sector also experienced significant growth. This period introduced Nigerians to modern shopping experiences marked by greater convenience, secure transactions, and more standardised products, regulated pricing, and healthier product packaging. The expansion of retail chains coincided with the rise of a growing middle class, whose increasing disposable income created strong demand for consumer goods. As a result, the Nigerian economy flourished and expanded rapidly, with multichain stores serving as both a driver and a reflection of this economic transformation.

Declining Domestic Capacity

With the growing challenges facing manufacturing operations in Nigeria, domestic industrial capacity began to weaken. In response, many multichain stores shifted from stocking predominantly locally manufactured goods to importing finished consumer products. Gradually, familiar Nigerian-made items such as Nasco Cornflakes, Wafers & Biscuits, Okin Biscuits, Onward Exercise Books, Nichemtex Fabrics, and Imperial Leather Soap, among others, were displaced on store shelves by foreign brands.

While this shift was initially a survival strategy to keep businesses afloat amid declining local productivity, it created new pressures. Heavy reliance on imported goods heightened exposure to foreign exchange scarcity, which was compounded by the economy’s eroded capacity to sustain large-scale importation, whether of consumer goods or industrial inputs. Despite a growing population and rising demand for industrial products, resilience in the retail sector weakened, and profitability across multichain operations dwindled.

This period also marked the onset of a structural change in Nigeria’s consumption patterns. Increasing urbanisation reinforced the drift toward imported goods, embedding a consumer preference shift that has since never slowed.

The Demise of Multichain Stores

By the late 1980s, the combined weight of these challenges, foreign exchange shortages, declining industrial output, and reduced consumer purchasing power pushed many multinational retail chains into decline. The once-thriving giants of Nigeria’s retail landscape, including Kingsway, Leventis, and UTC, either shut down operations or drastically scaled back their presence.

The collapse of these pioneering retail chains represented more than the closure of shops; it marked a structural setback for Nigeria’s commerce ecosystem, and indeed, industrial production. Their absence disrupted supply chains, weakened consumer goods standardisation, and severed critical linkages: between farms and factories on one hand, and between industries and logistics infrastructure on the other.

What emerged in their place was a highly fragmented retail landscape dominated by informal markets and small-scale traders, an arrangement that, while resilient, lacked the efficiency, consumer protection, and domestic value chain integration that multichain stores once provided. Compounding this was a logistics sector that became grossly underfunded and heavily dependent on a single mode of transportation, which limited the retail ecosystem’s capacity to support broad-based industrial and economic growth.

Local Capacity and the Path Ahead

Despite its relatively limited intensity, e-commerce has opened a pathway for the recovery of industrial productive activities, largely driven by small-scale, agro-based consumer goods such as food seasonings, packaged snacks, and ready-to-eat meals. This development has created a modest but meaningful linkage between consumer demand, retail platforms, and local manufacturing.

Over time, this capacity has evolved from informal, low-volume production into more structured, semi-formal enterprises. Local brands are increasingly adopting improved packaging, food safety compliance, and stronger branding strategies to appeal not only to domestic consumers but also to diaspora markets. Some producers now leverage digital platforms for direct-to-consumer sales, bypassing traditional distribution bottlenecks. Gradually, elements of product standardisation, quality assurance, and regulated pricing are re-emerging in the Nigerian shopping experience.

Building on this momentum, local retail chains such as Ebeano, Justrite, and Sundry Markets are cautiously expanding, often consolidating their presence in regional strongholds rather than pursuing aggressive nationwide penetration. This reflects a pragmatic approach: prioritising depth before scale and resilience before speed. Many of these outlets are also incorporating elements of the informal market while maintaining fair and standardised pricing.

While many local manufacturers, such as Vitafoam for mattresses or smaller industrial goods makers, exist, they remain largely dependent on independent retail outlets, showrooms, or online platforms. They are rarely integrated into multichain retail networks, leaving a significant gap in the market that could be leveraged to scale locally manufactured industrial goods.

This gap provides an opportunity for multichain outlets, linking farms and local industries beyond the food sector, while stocking a broader range of locally manufactured industrial products, such as furniture and household items, on their shelves. Strengthening these upstream and downstream linkages would reduce the retail industry’s reliance on imported finished goods, enhance local value addition, and improve supply chain resilience.

To fully realise this potential, investments are needed in developing complementary infrastructure. Strategic investments in cold chain logistics, recycling plants, packaging facilities, and other enabling assets can enhance efficiency, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase the competitiveness of locally produced goods. Such infrastructure not only strengthens the connections between producers and retailers but also catalyses broader industrial development, creating sustainable opportunities across multiple sectors.

Conclusion

Nigeria’s retail sector stands at a pivotal juncture. The historical decline of multichain stores created structural gaps that weakened domestic industrial linkages and consumer protection, while the rise of e-commerce has only partially filled this void. Yet, the emergence of domestic retail chains and the resilience of local manufacturers present a tangible opportunity to rebuild integrated value chains. By leveraging economies of scale, linking farms and industries beyond food, and expanding shelf space for locally manufactured industrial goods, multichain stores can once again serve as engines of economic growth. Complementary investments in logistics, cold chain systems, recycling, and packaging infrastructure are critical to sustaining this transformation. Together, these measures can strengthen domestic production, reduce import dependence, and foster a resilient, competitive, and inclusive retail ecosystem for Nigeria’s future.

Dipo Baruwa is a business climate development analyst.