(Business in Cameroon) - Duval Arno Distribution (DAD) will inaugurate the first store of the French mass distribution brand BUT tomorrow July 5. The ceremony will take place in the PlayCe hypermarket in Yaoundé where the new outlet is housed.

The arrival of BUT, we learned, will be the starting point for the deployment of a 5-year investment program, which will enable Duval Arno Distribution to increase its footprint in the mass distribution sector in Cameroon and Africa.

"DAD intends to build 9 stores by the end of the year and plans to spend, over the next 5 years, not less than CFA40 billion for the construction and development of its outlets. The ambition by 2030 is to open about thirty new local supermarkets in Cameroon and about fifteen furniture and decoration stores," said the company which also operates the French brand Intermarché in Cameroon.

Higher competition in sight

BUT specializes in home furnishings and has more than 300 stores in France while the general retailer Intermarché is presented as the supermarket operator that captured the highest new market share in France in 2020. The deployment of these two brands in Cameroon will boost competition in the market. As a reminder, international brands, including French (Carrefour, Casino, BAO, Super U, Supeco ...), are already competing with local brands (Dovv, Santa Lucia, Fokou, etc.).

To find a place in this sector, which was once dominated by foreigners, local operators have opted for a proximity approach. They opened several stores in many areas in Yaoundé and Douala. But foreigners also seem to be adopting an aggressive countermeasure. This includes wholesale sales at discounted prices (the more you buy, the cheaper the product is per unit, ed), with cash and carry brands such as BAO and more recently Supeco.

Brice R. Mbodiam