Private labels are losing market share – NielsenIQ

South Africa’s most price-sensitive consumers are not trading down into supermarket house brands, they are changing the map of retail altogether.

NielsenIQ data for the first quarter of 2026 shows that while South Africans spent R173.6 billion in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category, the more striking signal sits beneath the headline growth – private label lost share in a market where it should, in theory, have been gaining.

Read: Battle of the house brands

FMCG sales value rose 6.5% year on year, while unit sales climbed 9.1%, suggesting that consumers bought more items even as they remained under pressure.

But instead of a straightforward shift into cheaper supermarket-owned brands, NIQ’s data shows that private labels, excluding tobacco and liquor, accounted for R26.7 billion in sales, up only 1.3% for the quarter.

Private labels’ share of FMCG sales value slipped 1.1% compared with the same period last year.

That is unusual in a stretched household environment.

In many markets, private label grows when consumers feel poorer. In South Africa, the opposite appears to be happening because the shopping trip itself is changing.

Smaller traders meeting consumer needs

Traditional trade, including spaza shops, taverns, and independently owned superettes, generated R43.1 billion in sales during the quarter and continued to outpace modern retail in several categories.

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These stores are not winning because they offer the broadest ranges or the most sophisticated loyalty programmes.

They are winning because they are close, flexible, and suited to smaller, more frequent purchases.

That matters because private label is largely a modern retail advantage.

When shoppers move part of their spend away from supermarkets and into informal or independent outlets, they often move back toward known national brands, single items, smaller packs, and daily top-up shopping.

‘Some breathing room’ … for now

NIQ South Africa managing director Zak Haeri says lower inflation gave consumers and retailers “some breathing room” in the first quarter, helped by more stable food prices and lower fuel costs.

But he warns that the relief may already be fading, with inflation expected to accelerate in the second half of the year because of higher input costs and spillovers from the conflict in the Middle East.

Listen/read: ‘What we’re seeing is an economy certainly slowing down’

The category detail tells its own story. Food sales rose 7.2% in value to R28.1 billion, while snacking volumes jumped 16.2%.

Liquor, beverages and tobacco also recorded strong growth.

Yet baby food and care was the only major category to decline, with sales value falling 2.1% to about R3.4 billion.

In technology and durables, consumers also showed caution.

They bought more units in some categories, including televisions, laptops, and appliances, but often at lower average prices.

Read: Shoprite secures major stake in Mpumalanga-based R&A Cellular

Smartphone sales were weak, with telecoms unit sales down 7.5% as consumers delayed upgrades or moved to cheaper devices.

The lesson for retailers is uncomfortable.

South Africans are not only looking for lower prices. They are redesigning their shopping behaviour around cash flow, distance, and immediacy. The spaza, not the supermarket shelf, may now be the sharpest indicator of consumer stress.

Listen: Private label boom: More South Africans are ditching name brands [Apr 2025]