From five grams of toothpaste to 10 millilitres of cooking oil, many Nigerians struggling with soaring prices now buy their basic necessities in small quantities packed in tiny plastic bags to be consumed on the same day. Consumer brands behind this "sachetisation of the economy" see it as a creative innovation, allowing consumption for all Nigerians, the majority of whom live on less than $2 a day. But critics see the development as an economic and ecological aberration, even as Africa's largest economy struggles with the inflationary fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine. In the streets of Lagos, the vibrant economic capital of Africa's most populous country, small sachets are now part of the decor: they colour its streets, packing the wood and tin shops found on the corner of most streets. Sitting on a stool, Ibrahim Atahire has been running his small grocery store for 30 years in a busy area of Obalende, a popular district of the megalopolis. "At my place, you can buy … [Read more...] about From coffee to toothpaste, Nigerians buy small as hardships bite
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Giants reshape retail pharmaceutical market
A Long Chau drugstore. The pharmaceutical retail market was seeing the rapid expansion of modern drugstore chains. — Photo FPT Retail The winds of change are blowing through Viet Nam’s retail pharmaceutical industry, with giants wrapping up investments to establish modern retail chains in an anticipated fast-growing market, which mom-and-pop stores currently dominate. After Pharmacity, FPT’s Long Chau, and Mobile World Investment Corp’s An Khang pharmacy chains, Masan Group is supposedly gearing up preparations to enter the pharmaceutical retail market. According to the national portal about business registration, Winphar Trading Services Corporation was founded on March 31 with WinCommerce, holding a stake of 80 per cent, Do Thi Hoang Yen and Tran Phuong Bac, 10 per cent each. WinCommerce, a member of Masan Group, currently operates the most significant nationwide grocery modern trade retail platform Winmart and Winmart+ while Yen and Bac both held important positions at … [Read more...] about Giants reshape retail pharmaceutical market
Demand for cotton forces adjustments
Thanh Cong Textile Garment Investment Trading JSC exported over one-third of its products to the United States in 2021. However, the company started to face challenges following the US’ blanket ban on all Xinjiang cotton. Last year, President Joe Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Vietnam’s cotton imports reach up to one million tonnes each year, Photo: Shutterstock Tran Nhu Tung, chairman of the company, said that the company has adopted regulations this year related to this act. Accordingly, buyers have to be responsible for export orders to the US which source Chinese cotton materials. Thanh Cong secures many large orders from the US. In 2022, the company sets a target to generate $179 million in revenues and $10.87 million in profit, up 120 per cent and 188 per cent respectively against last year. Tung noted that yarn exports are the main driving force for Thanh Cong. “There is a rapidly growing demand for yarn imports in the global … [Read more...] about Demand for cotton forces adjustments