A woman selects products in a supermarket. File photo.
The supply rate of Venezuelan supermarkets was 98% at the end of 2024. Meanwhile, 97% of the products currently on the shelves are produced in Venezuela.
According to data from the business association National Association of Supermarkets and Self-Service Stores (ANSA), in 2024, there were 2,578 new products on the shelves compared to 2023.
Currently, there are over 400 registered brands of coffee, more than 40 registered brands of precooked flour, more than 20 registered brands of tomato sauce, and over 25 registered brands of mayonnaise in Venezuelan supermarkets.
“A year or two ago, when you would go to a supermarket, you would have seen the usual brands. Now you see new brands, or brands with different packaging, 900-gram packages, large packages,” said President of ANSA Ítalo Atencio to Últimas Noticias.
By the end of 2024, 85% of the products available in the supermarkets were of domestic production, while the remaining 15% were imported.
However, Minister of National Commerce Luis Villegas recently reported that 97% of the products sold in the supermarkets are of national production. This has been possible due to the Economic Recovery Plan implemented in 2018, in which the primary production sector and the agroindustry received special attention.
“Earlier, we were a country with a rentier culture. We brought everything from outside,” Minister Villegas said in an interview on VTV. “Now, we have full national supply. We have all the products for the basic basket, we can see it in the supermarkets. The primary production sector is growing. The agroindustry is growing, the commerce sector is growing.”
The president of ANSA explained that in the impulse foods sector (snacks, candies), there is still higher importation than national production. “However, in supermarkets, there is more and more presence of brands of cookies made in Venezuela, brands of snacks made in Venezuela, and we believe that this is going to keep growing,” he added.
Similarly, in cleaning products such as detergents, disinfectants, and soaps, there has been an increase in products carrying the Made in Venezuela seal.
Growth of commerce
In 2024, the supermarket sector opened, remodeled, or changed business models in 61 branches, meaning an increase of 8% compared to 2023, when there were 38 branches.
“If you add this up, in two years, 100 new stores opened. This means that Venezuelans now have 100 more stores to shop in,” Atencio added.
The growth of supermarket commerce last year represented 4,880 direct jobs and 19,520 indirect jobs, totaling 24,4000 new jobs. Meanwhile, the sector’s total contribution to the country’s labor force was 650,000, of which 130,000 are direct jobs and 520,000 are indirect jobs.
Consumption in supermarkets during January-December 2023 compared to the same period in 2024 saw an increase of 6%, reaching four consecutive years of growth in food unit sales.
According to ANSA, this sector contributed 4.5% of Venezuela’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024. The GDP itself grew by over 9% last year, as reported by President Nicolás Maduro in his annual address to the nation on January 15.
Based on the commercial growth, Atencio recommended that those involved in the supermarket sector make biannual evaluations since Venezuela is a country of seasonal consumption. “Sometimes we forget that,” he noted.
He stressed that consumption cannot be compared between December and January, as consumption can drop 20% or 25% in January. Meanwhile, with the carnival holiday between February and March, some categories experience more sales than others.
“But if Carnival is in March, which is the case of 2025, and Easter comes in April, there will be some categories that will also grow differently while others would not,” he said. He also recommended making evaluations in four-month periods.
Regarding the period from May to August, which is influenced by the end of the school year and subsequent school vacations, he commented that “most people travel within the country, some travel outside. The consumption of some products in that four-month period changes differently than during the rest of the year.”
Regarding the September-December period, which contains the last part of the school vacations and the Christmas season, he said that last year, Christmas products were available in the supermarkets from October.
“What did Venezuelans do? They bought in a planned way,” he remarked. “Some Christmas season products were bought in October, others in November, and others in December.”
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Venezuelans’ shopping habits have changed
Atencio also stated that Venezuelans’ shopping habits have changed significantly. Before, Venezuelans used to shop monthly or biweekly. Meanwhile, last year, Venezuelans shopped twice a week in commercial establishments.
Atencio explained that this happened because Venezuelans make a first purchase and then make a second purchase of the same product. That is, they go eight times a month to make their purchases and spend an average of 55 minutes each time in the supermarket.
“The first purchase is likely made in an establishment of preference, but the second purchase is almost always made at a store closest to one’s home,” he said, adding that this pattern is part of the behavior acquired since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shopping experience
As for the reasons why Venezuelans might choose to shop at an establishment, Atencio stated that contrary to what some experts say, price is not the only relevant factor.
In a study conducted by ANSA, respondents were asked the reasons why they go to a supermarket, other than price, and the following options were given: promotions, quality, customer service, and shopping experience. The last two options were selected by 60% of those consulted.
Atencio explained that Venezuelans look for a pleasant shopping experience where they do not have to wait in line for long or where there is good lighting, for example.
“We say that Venezuelans, when it comes to shopping, are not remorseful shoppers,” he added.
He also said that the use of social media and communications technology has contributed to the planning of purchases.
“For example, if I go to buy corn flour, wheat flour, pasta, tomato sauce, sugar, potato, carrot, and onion, the first thing I do is check the price. I go to where I got the best price option and see if the products have the price-quality-value relationship that I am looking for,” he said.
According to Atencio, this is a challenge for supermarkets and suppliers in terms of achieving brand loyalty. Failure to do so could be affected by word-of-mouth recommendations among customers.
“Nowadays, we are saying that supermarkets have become an ecosystem of social exchange,” he commented, citing as an example a commercial establishment in the east of Caracas that has gone viral on social media and offers many services to its customers.
“People do not go to supermarkets only to buy food, health products, cleaning and household products,” he said. “Just having a coffee, buying bread, going to the pharmacy and buying medicine—that has changed. Now, supermarkets are seen differently by Venezuelans.”
Purchases in bolívars have increased
Atencio also highlighted the significant increase in supermarket purchases using the national currency, bolívars.
By the end of 2024, 86% of sales transactions were made in bolívars, and the remaining 14% were in foreign currency. This is the reverse of the case some three years ago when 85% of transactions were made in foreign currency and 15% in bolívars.
“In February 2025, 95% of transactions were carried out in bolívars,” Atencio said during a VTV interview with the minister for National Commerce.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro considered this a good sign in the strengthening of the Venezuelan currency. “This reinforces the objective of creating a multicurrency system amid economic sanctions,” he said in his TV program, Con Maduro+, on February 17.
(Últimas Noticias) by Víctor Lara
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
