Venezuela's supermarket sector opens 93 new stores in 2026

So far in 2026, 93 supermarkets have opened across the country, according to the portal Banca y Negocios in its October 14 report, surpassing last year's figures and with expectations of reaching 100 stores before December.

This expansion of retail trade responds to a repositioning strategy by the large chains to capture foreign-currency liquidity and the flow of remittances that drive consumption in urban centers, a phenomenon fueled by the de facto transactional dollarization that prevails in the country.

According to the Asociación Nacional de Supermercados y Autoservicios (ANSA), cited by Descifrado on October 13, the supermarket sector currently generates 870,000 jobs, counting direct, indirect and administrative positions, and contributes 6% of national gross domestic product (GDP).

The growth of the network of food retailers and self-service stores coexists with the macroeconomic projections of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which put the increase in Venezuela's real GDP at 4.0% for the close of 2026 and foresee a slowdown from the 1.5% recorded in 2025, reflecting a heterogeneous recovery subject to the volatility of oil revenues.

For its part, pressure on the cost of everyday living remains uneven across regions, as El Nacional reported on October 12 when it noted that the Maracaibo food basket rose 1.24% in dollar terms during September, reaching 607 dollars, which shows that greater commercial supply does not automatically translate into price stability for households.