How to sell in Brazil: preparing your RTM for the atacarejo
In 2025, Brazilian food retail (varejo alimentar) had sales of R$ 1.14 trillion, according to the ABRAS 2026 Ranking. The atacarejo (cash-and-carry) channel contributed R$ 327.7 billion: 327.7 ÷ 1,140 = 28.7%, which the ranking rounds to 29%.
For a Latin American manufacturer evaluating how to sell in Brazil, the useful figure is not the size of the channel. It is how the channel is split, how much each customer buys and what the shelf price does to your margin. We analyze it with public data and our own calculations, which we flag as such.
A few accounts concentrate the channel
The ABAAS 2026 Ranking lists the 20 largest atacarejo chains. Together they have sales of R$ 362.7 billion with 2,140 stores. The top three, Atacadão (R$ 89.9 billion), Assaí (R$ 84.7 billion) and Grupo Mateus (R$ 43.6 billion), add up to R$ 218.2 billion: 60% of the top 20's sales with 47% of the stores (999 of 2,140). The top five reach 71%.
Reading: entering the atacarejo does not require negotiating with hundreds of customers, but convincing three to five buyers. That shortens the path, but it also means a single rejection closes a large part of the channel. In revenue per store, the top three average about R$ 218 million per location versus about R$ 127 million for the rest of the top 20 (our calculation; each group's figure may include other formats).
A note on rigor: the top 20 total (R$ 362.7 billion) exceeds the ABRAS atacarejo total (R$ 327.7 billion). They are different universes and we cannot reconcile them from the outside. That is why we do not mix both figures in the same calculation. Nor do we mix them with the 40.1% McKinsey reported in 2022, which does not measure the same thing.
Ticket size and shelf price change your margin
According to NielsenIQ (cited by FoodBiz, June 2025), shoppers spend about R$ 100 per visit to the atacarejo and R$ 44 in independent supermarkets: 2.3 times more. The same study shows they visit neighborhood markets 74 times a year and large chains only 16 times. These are two different shopping missions: frequent, low-value top-up purchases versus stock-up purchases.
On price, a Nielsen survey reported by Estadão (2022) found a basic basket 15% cheaper in the atacarejo; a CNC study cited in 2022 mentions 18% and up to 33% for some products. These figures are four years old, but they show the order of magnitude.
Example with illustrative numbers, not market data. Suppose a chain buys at 70 and sells at 100 in a supermarket: a 30% margin. If the atacarejo shelf price must be 15% lower, at 85, and the chain buys at the same cost of 70, its margin falls to 17.6%. To keep 30% it would have to buy at 59.5, that is, 15% less than in the supermarket. Whoever enters with a price list designed for another channel discovers this arithmetic in the first negotiation.
How to sell in Brazil: four decisions before the first order
1. Channel and category. Choose a single source to measure the weight of the atacarejo in your categories and state the universe. Enter where your product has a clear role, not in every category at once.
2. Pack and price ladder. With R$ 100 tickets and two types of buyers, the household and the small retailer, pack format and price per unit are designed before negotiating, with the shelf price gap already calculated.
3. Entry model. According to ABAD and NielsenIQ (2026, 2025 data), the wholesaler and distributor sector had sales of R$ 616.6 billion, with real growth of 11%, and supplies 68% of small and very small retail, 95% of traditional retail and 40% of large supermarket sales. If your strategy includes traditional trade, the distributor is not optional; if you target the chains, a direct or mixed account model changes margin and control. It is a route to market decision. We recommend How to optimize your Route to Market (RTM) model.
4. Agreement with the chain. A category plan without a common goal ends in a negotiation over terms. With a common goal, it becomes Joint Business Planning where both parties win if the category grows. More context in The evolution of Category Management in consumer goods.
Before the first order, regulatory and labeling requirements must be validated with a specialist. They are not the focus of this article and we do not summarize them here because they change by product.
What we do not know
The price data is from 2022 and one figure comes from a column by a software provider in the sector. Revenue per store may mix in other formats for some groups. And none of the public sources we reviewed says how much of the atacarejo corresponds to each category. Before deciding, it is worth requesting that cut from NielsenIQ or from a distributor.
What a commercial director would do this week
First, calculate the price gap your product will face in the atacarejo and what margin it leaves the chain. Second, list the three accounts in the top five that interest you and what each would need to list you. Third, decide which entry model you will evaluate first.
TMC has worked in Brazil with companies such as Shell Select, BASF and DPA-Nestlé, and supports manufacturers from the region from the channel decision through in-store execution. We do not just recommend: we implement until the results are visible inside your organization.
Does the economics of serving the atacarejo fit your proposal?
Simulate order size, pack, net price, replenishment and logistics capacity by account. Weigh the opportunity against channel coexistence and test a limited portfolio before committing volume or national terms.
Data to bring to a commercial review
Prepare your customer universe and active customers, sales by product and customer, visit frequencies, commercial terms and cost to serve. The scope should respond to the decision and the evidence available. TMC integrates assessment, design and implementation, with a pilot, owners and follow-up according to the project.
Related analysis
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