Operator of Spanish Supermarket Chain Plans Expansion in Nigeria

The Nigerian operator of Spanish supermarket chain, Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentacion SA (DIA), plans to open more than 100 stores by 2020 to take advantage of rising spending in Africa’s most populous country.

First Master Retailers Limited (FMR), the Nigerian company that bought the local rights to operate DIA stores, could open as many as 25 CityDia shops a rights it’s Chief Operating Officer, Samuel Abiola-Jacobs, told Bloomberg in an interview in Lagos. FMR opened its first CityDia store in the city on Saturday and is opening a second there in the next few days, he said.

DIA-branded shops are in emerging markets including China, Brazil and Argentina. Nigeria is the third African market to have the company’s stores after Ivory Coast and Senegal, which has about 60, and is the Madrid-based brand’s first foray into an English-speaking country.

“Senegal in three years has grown to over 60 spots and they haven’t even gone throughout all Senegal, so you can see the potential is massive,” Abiola-Jacobs said. “Given how populated we are here and the growth of consumerism in Nigeria, we’re expected to do even better.”

DIA isn’t as optimistic about the outlook for store openings as First Master Retailers, a spokeswoman said by phone from Madrid on Wednesday. FMR is an independent company supplied by DIA, she said.

International retailers have struggled to establish themselves in Nigeria, which has a population of about 180 million, due to high property costs and difficulties transporting products to stores. Cape Town-based Woolworths Holdings Limited announced the closure of its three stores in the country two years ago, while Shoprite Holdings Limited, South Africa’s biggest food retailer, and Amsterdam-based Spar International are among the few foreign food retailers operating in the country.

More than 95 percent of shopping purchases in Nigeria are still made in open-air markets, creating an opportunity for retailers to thrive as consumers switch to formal stores, according to Abiola-Jacobs.