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›La Cave De Bacchus liquor store in Lubumbashi, DRC

›Checking out the party drinks in Accra, Ghana

stage, brand collaboration prospects exist for both pack and retail design that truly celebrate Africa and even further entrench global brands in the hearts and minds of African consumers.

While all the obvious reasons remain for brands to maintain their clearly defined identity, it is also true that Africa is a cultural melting pot where a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Marketing and design nuances must acknowledge specific national/ regional trends, influences, social norms and cultural expectations.

A significant opportunity exists for brands to work with retailers to develop custom off-trade solutions for their stores, especially when it comes to category management and using their anchor brands to signal category locations. Certain materials, substrates and even some production techniques

may be unavailable in some markets, and in those instances local marketing teams can draw on expertise and craftsmanship from more established markets, including South Africa and the North African economic giants.

Clever brands can forge a new path

Market-leading brands have the opportunity and resources to forge the new pathway forward, building relationships with local traders that benefit brand, consumer and store – all the while contributing to the growth, evolution and rising sophistication of the liquor retail sector on the continent and, of course, the African economy as a whole.

Leonard Gebhardt is a business development, customer marketing & project management specialist with 25+ years’ FMCG experience. He consults on commercial, customer marketing, route to market, innovation, and strategy development for numerous companies in the liquor and FMCG sector. Through his business, Red Fox Create, he leads the production of custom, permanent brand-displays across the African continent.