How to redesign your route to market in Venezuela
Venezuelan consumer goods have been growing for four years. But growing in volume is not the same as selling more in each point of sale.
According to NielsenIQ, volume grew 3% in 2022, 6% in 2023, 14% in 2024 and 7% in 2025. Behind that curve is a figure that matters more to anyone running a distribution network: there are about 63,000 active points of sale, roughly 30% fewer than in 2016.
Let's do the math openly: if there are 63,000 today and that is 30% fewer, in 2016 there were about 90,000 (our estimate: 63,000 ÷ 0.70).
Fewer points of sale serving growing consumption means each point weighs more, for better and for worse.
Where people buy: two thirds in the traditional channel
According to the same measurement, 66% of consumption happens in abastos, bodegas, bakeries and pharmacies. The remaining 34% happens in hypermarkets, supermarkets and drugstore chains.
The measurement varies by source. Our analysis of key accounts and the recovery of the modern channel in Venezuela cites a larger weight for the modern channel. The practical conclusion is the same: the modern channel is gaining relevance and requires different treatment from the bodega.
Another figure forces precise decisions: Caracas and Miranda account for 32% of consumption with only 20% of the population.
And growth is not even. In 2025, 70% of categories grew in volume and value, led by yogurt (+21% in volume). Another 12% contracted, including oils, chocolate, pasta and rum.
For a distributor, this means the same truck can carry categories that rise and categories that fall. Route profitability depends on that mix.
Route to market in Venezuela: three decisions this data forces you to make
Coverage based on profitability, not habit. With a smaller base of points of sale, keeping routes out of inertia is expensive.
In the assessments we carry out for distributors, we usually find that 30% to 50% of routes are unprofitable. It is the same logic as our analysis of customer profitability: the customer who sells the most can be the least profitable.
A distribution model by area. The answer is not the same for Caracas and Miranda as for the interior of the country.
Exclusive distributor, own operation or a mixed scheme is decided with data on consumption concentration and cost per visit. This is the core of our work in Route to Market.
Traditional and modern with separate rules. Different teams, different commercial terms and different metrics.
In the bodega you win with frequency, assortment and execution. In the chains you win with a joint plan and store-by-store execution.
What it means for the manufacturer
If you are a manufacturer, your real coverage is your distributors' coverage. And real coverage almost never matches what appears in the contract.
It is worth asking, area by area, which distributor serves which points of sale, how often and with what level of execution. In our consulting for manufacturers we always start from that question: where does your brand lose sales in the store, and how much is it worth to recover them.
What a distributor should measure this week
Before redesigning anything, there are three numbers any distributor can pull from its own system:
Sales and margin by route, not just by salesperson.
Cost per visit versus average sales per visit.
Active customers today versus active customers 24 months ago.
With those three numbers you can already see where profitability is lost. If you want to go deeper, we have a specific proposal for consumer goods distributors.
What implementation looks like
At TMC we do not hand over a document and leave. The assessment takes four weeks. Then comes a pilot in the market, adjustments and rollout, with support for the sales team until the change works inside the organization.
As a reference for what happens when coverage and execution are put in order together: in a traditional channel case in Mexico, with more than 320,000 stores, we achieved +15% to +26% in volume per store. It is a different market and not a promise for Venezuela; it is a reference for the method. However, we have many examples of real cases in the country with results well above those achieved in Mexico.
A caveat about the data
The NielsenIQ figures correspond to 2025. The 2026 environment is moving, and coverage should be recalculated with your own sales and route data, not just market averages.
Does your customer map reflect where people buy today?
Update the universe, activity and potential by territory. Separate store censuses from customers who repurchase and evaluate the economics of each service model; a national store count is not enough to size routes.
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
Book a meeting with TMC
Book an initial 30-minute meeting with TMC to discuss your company's commercial challenge. We will review your category, channels, current operation and available information to assess where a consulting and implementation project can add value.
