Freetown Consumer Retail Analysis
- Freetown, Sierra Leone
- 2023
- CONSULTING
ADVISE assessed consumer retail conditions in Freetown, translating field observations and customer research into practical decisions on assortment, location and service expectations.
The challenge
The retailer needed to evaluate expansion in a market where formal store comparisons captured only part of consumer purchasing behaviour. Informal trade, transport costs and irregular product availability influenced where households shopped. Existing assumptions treated neighbourhood demand as broadly similar and relied too heavily on headline demographic indicators. Management required grounded evidence about shopping missions, product substitution and the conditions under which customers would change outlets.
Our approach
ADVISE combined store audits, structured customer conversations and neighbourhood observation with a review of distribution and replenishment constraints. Research separated routine household purchases from occasional higher-value spending and examined how availability affected brand choice. The team compared candidate catchments using access, competing offers and customer routines. Findings were translated into assortment hypotheses, service priorities and testable location criteria rather than a single market-size estimate.
The result
The assessment gave management a more differentiated picture of demand across potential catchments. Expansion discussions could address stock reliability, pack formats and shopping convenience alongside property availability. The recommended testing plan linked commercial assumptions to observable customer behaviour before larger commitments were made. Research materials also provided a reference for buying, operations and marketing teams, reducing dependence on conflicting anecdotal interpretations of the market.
Outcomes
- Neighbourhood-level demand assessment
- Evidence-led assortment priorities
- Testable retail location criteria