On this page you’ll find everything that you need to know about shopping for Expats in Abuja. The first section is about the main supermarkets in Abuja, the second section is about Shopping Malls, and the final section is about Online Shopping in Abuja.
Supermarkets in Abuja
You can find pretty much everything that you need in Abuja, but all imported products are far more expensive than Europe. The rarer the product, the higher the price. For example, HP sauce is roughly double what you’d pay in Europe, whilst hydrating anti-rash baby cream is 3 to 4 times the price.
The most popular supermarkets are Shoprites which are found across the city (https://www.shoprite.com.ng/). They are a decent, middle of the road supermarket which provides most of your daily needs but not so many specialised items. Also, they get very busy, especially on weekends, so be prepared to battle the crowds.
Dunes is the most popular supermarket with Expats as it has a good range of international products, as well as everything you could need for daily life. It’s a little more expensive (though Shoprite is not cheap either) but rarely busy and always convenient.
I recently stumbled across a lovely little supermarket in Wuse 2 called Delis. You can read a little review on that here: https://welcome2abuja.com/2022/05/23/delis-a-great-little-supermarket-in-abuja/. A bit like Dunes, they also have a great selection.
Shopping Malls in Abuja
There are a few big shopping malls in Abuja. None of them are super modern but these ones are the nicest.
Jabi Mall is the biggest mall by area and opened in 2015. It includes a range of shops, including some official brands such as Adidas and Sketchers, and 2 supermarkets: Game, which has some food but specialises more in other stuff and is cheap, and Shoprite, which is normal supermarket. There are also a few restaurants including KFC and Dominoes.
The Baby Food Selection at Dunes
Silverbird Mall is also large, located near Sheraton Hotel, and opened in 2009. This also has a range of small shops (fake Ikea) as well as a large Shoprite Supermarket. There are a couple of cafes / restaurants as well as the popular Jake’s Club, which is a fun place to go on a Friday or Saturday night.
Dunes is a favourite with expats because it sells the nicest, higher end products. It’s smaller than the two malls mentioned above but has a nice atmosphere and good service. There is a Lebanese restaurant weirdly positioned in the middle of the supermarket and a great coffee shop at one end, which sells the best bread in Abuja! https://www.dunescenter.com/ (word of warning: it’s not quite as luxurious as the websites make out, but it’s still nice!)
There are also numerous (maybe hundreds?) or smaller shopping centres throughout Abuja and some have a surprisingly good selection. Happy shopping!
Online Shopping
There are two types of online shopping available in Abuja.
- Grocery shopping, which is usually delivered within the hour (or less)
- Online shopping for larger items, like Amazon.
Online Grocery Shopping
I have found a number of websites that offer grocery delivery in Abuja of varying qualities, but so far I have only tested two of them and it works really well.
- Great selection
- No cash on delivery.
Butcher’s Box (via Jumia food)
- Delivers good quality meats and vegetables only
- Quick and easy
I have found the following online but I haven’t tested them yet:
- www.mart.ng
- Has a terrible range of alcohol
- Appear to have most other things
- Same-day Delivery
- www.slashmart.ng
- Advertise simple ordering by phone, delivery within 3 hours
- Cash on delivery
- A slightly better alchol selection; not tested
- www.nkataa.com
- Focus more on cooked food
- www.jcgroceries.com
- Small selection but nice products
- Could be useful
Online Shopping for Larger Items (like Amazon)
I haven’t tried either of these yet but www.Konga.com and www.Jumia.com are the biggest online shops in Abuja. If anyone has any experience with them, I’d love to hear from you so that I can update the website and share your experience with other people.
According to Business Insider, Amazon is planning to open a Marketplace in Nigeria in April 2023, see https://www.businessinsider.co.za/amazon-plans-to-expand-into-south-africa-leaked-documents-2022-6.