What Assaí Atacadista does

Assaí Atacadista, legally Sendas Distribuidora S/A, is Brazil's second-largest food retailer and operates a cash-and-carry wholesale model through 313 large-format stores (averaging 4,500m²) across 24 states plus the Federal District. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in São Paulo, the company serves both B2B customers (restaurants, bars, snack bars, street vendors, conventional grocers, hospitals, schools, and hotels) and B2C end consumers seeking wholesale pricing on approximately 8,000 SKUs per store, with monthly customer traffic exceeding 40 million. Assaí employs more than 90,000 people, trades on B3 under ticker ASAI3 (with ADSs OTC in the US as ASAIY), and was recognized by Nielsen NIQ as "The Most Valuable Food Retail Brand in Brazil" in 2025.

The offering extends beyond physical retail to include the APP Meu Assaí mobile application, e-commerce storefront, televendas (phone-based ordering), last-mile delivery partnerships (Rappi, Cornershop), and a marketplace presence on Mercado Livre. Embedded financial products include the Cartão Passaí co-branded credit card (issued with Itaú), Cartão Cesta Básica prepaid card, Cartão Presente gift cards, and the Cartão Vale-Gás Ultragaz gas voucher. Private label brands Chef (merchant-focused, quality and yield) and Econobom (cost-benefit) round out the assortment, while supporting platforms — Academia Assaí (business education), Instituto Assaí (CSR), and the Churrascômetro barbecue planning calculator — extend customer engagement.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time retail sales of food and general merchandise, supplemented by revenue share from the Passaí credit card program, marketplace commissions, and gift card sales. Full-year 2024 revenue was R$ 80.6 billion, with projected 2025 sales of BRL 84.7 billion. In January 2026, Assaí announced it would file Form 15F with the SEC to terminate US reporting obligations while maintaining its B3 listing, alongside plans to halve its 2026 store-opening target (from 10 to 5 units), reduce workforce, and consider divesting underperforming stores in response to a Brazilian macro environment with Selic rates above 14%.

Name

Assaí Atacadista

Legal name

Sendas Distribuidora S/A

Website

https://assai.com.br

Company type

Public

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Assaí Atacadista is Brazil's second-largest food retailer, operating 313 cash-and-carry wholesale stores that serve small/medium businesses (restaurants, bars, retailers) and end consumers with bulk purchasing at competitive prices across 24 Brazilian states plus the Federal District.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cash-and-Carry Wholesale Retail

NAICS

Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451), Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Cash-and-Carry Wholesale Grocers (Business/Trade Customers) (CRAHACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cash-and-Carry Wholesale Stores (Business-Focused) (CRAHAMAC), Foodservice & Hospitality Supply Clubs (Restaurants, Catering, Hotels) (CRAEAEAC)

Keywords

• Cash and carry wholesale
• Food retail
• Bulk grocery distribution
• Private label brands
• Co-branded credit cards

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales - Food and Merchandise: Core revenue from retail sales of food products and general merchandise through physical stores, televendas, and e-commerce channels. The cash-and-carry wholesale model serves both business customers (B2B) and end consumers (B2C) with bulk purchasing options at competitive pricing.
2. Passaí Credit Card - Financial Products: Co-branded credit card (Passaí) with Itaú offering financial products, discounts at partner establishments, and health discounts through Dasa Laboratórios partnership.
3. Marketplace Commission - Mercado Livre Integration: Revenue share from product listings and sales through Mercado Livre marketplace partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Assaí Atacadista operates a cash-and-carry wholesale retail chain of 313 large-format stores across 24 Brazilian states plus the Federal District, selling food, beverages, household items, and general merchandise at wholesale-like prices. The chain serves small and medium business customers (restaurants, bars, snack bars, conventional grocery retailers, street vendors) alongside individual end consumers, with no membership requirement, complemented by financial products (Cartão Passaí, gift cards, prepaid basic-basket card), private-label brands (Chef, Econobom), and digital/omnichannel channels including the App Meu Assaí, televendas, e-commerce, and delivery partnerships.

Product overview

Assaí Atacadista operates as a cash-and-carry wholesale retailer with a platform-plus-services model. The core Assaí Atacadista chain of 313 stores serves both B2B customers (small and medium merchants, restaurants, bars) and B2C consumers seeking wholesale pricing on over 8,000 items per store. Financial services are embedded through the Cartão Passaí co-branded credit card (Itaú partnership) and prepaid cards (Cartão Cesta Básica and Cartão Presente). Digital engagement is enabled via the APP Meu Assaí mobile app, Televendas phone ordering, and Rappi/Cornershop delivery integrations. Supplementary platforms include Academia Assaí (business education), Instituto Assaí (social responsibility), and the Churrascômetro digital tool. Private label brands Chef and Econobom round out the offering with cost-focused merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chef: Exclusive brand line offering cost-benefit products for merchants with quality and good yield.
• Econobom

Products and services

• Assaí Atacadista Cash-and-Carry Stores Brazil's second-largest cash-and-carry wholesale retailer operating 313 stores across 24 states plus the Federal District, serving small and medium merchants (restaurants, bars, street vendors) as well as final consumers seeking wholesale prices.
• Cartão Passaí Co-branded credit card issued in partnership with Itaú that enables customers to pay wholesale prices starting from 1 unit at Assaí stores, with installment options up to 3x without interest and exclusive tire purchases in 10x without interest.
• Cartão Cesta Básica Assaí Prepaid basic basket card allowing purchases of food staples at Assaí stores, reloadable between R$50-R$500, valid for 180 days, available as physical or virtual card.
• Cartão Presente Assaí Prepaid gift card sold at Assaí stores and via WhatsApp, loadable between R$50-R$1,000, usable across multiple purchases until balance is exhausted; also includes third-party gift cards (Spotify, Uber, Netflix, Google Play, Xbox, Razer Gold, League of Legends, Sem Parar).
• App Meu Assaí Mobile application enabling customers to access exclusive offers, check store locations, browse weekly promotions, and receive personalized deals.
• Televendas (Phone Sales) Telephone ordering service allowing customers to place orders by phone with in-store pickup, enabling bulk purchasing without visiting the physical store.
• Marcas Próprias (Chef and Econobom) Own-brand product lines: Chef offers quality and yield-focused products for merchants; Econobom provides practical and economical options for both traders and consumers.
• Cartão Vale-Gás Ultragaz Prepaid gas voucher for 13kg gas cylinders purchased at Assaí checkout counters, with delivery arranged through the Ultragaz app within two hours at no extra cost.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 40 million monthly customers across 313 stores
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mercado LivrecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketplace partnership allowing Assaí products to be listed and sold through Mercado Livre's e-commerce platform, extending Assaí's online reach to Mercado Livre's millions of active users in Brazil.
• RappicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partnership enabling Rappi users to order Assaí products for same-day home delivery through the Rappi app, serving customers who prefer online shopping and delivery convenience.
• CornershopcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOn-demand delivery partnership allowing Cornershop users to shop from Assaí stores and receive delivery, providing accessible grocery delivery options to Brazilian consumers.
• Itaú (Passaí Credit Card)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-branded Passaí credit card partnership with Itaú offering exclusive discounts, rewards points, and financial products for Assaí customers. Itaú provides the financial infrastructure and customer base for the co-branded card program.
• Dasa LaboratóriosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealth discount partnership offering Passaí cardholders discounts on laboratory tests and health services at Dasa diagnostic centers, adding value to the financial products offered by Assaí.
• UltragazminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGas delivery partnership offering propane/LPG gas delivery to Assaí customers, providing a convenient one-stop-shop experience for household energy needs alongside grocery shopping.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• METRO AG: European cash-and-carry operator serving HoReCa and small businesses. Operates the same trade-focused wholesale model with comparable customer segments and SKU strategy, though at very different geographic scale.
• Costco Wholesale: Global warehouse club leader with membership-based cash-and-carry model. While not in Brazil, it is the closest international comparable for store format, private-label strategy (Kirkland), and B2B/B2C blended model.
• BJ's Wholesale Club: U.S. membership warehouse club. Operates the same cash-and-carry format with a digital and fresh-food focus; comparable in scale and value-proposition even though geographically separate.

Emerging players

• Spani Atacadista: Brazilian regional cash-and-carry wholesaler with a smaller footprint but a directly comparable cash-and-carry model targeting small merchants. Represents the emerging competitive threat in Assaí's core cash-and-carry niche.

Direct peers

• Sam's Club Brasil: Walmart's Brazilian membership-based warehouse club. Comparable cash-and-carry wholesale format targeting B2B (small businesses) and B2C (premium-end consumers) with bulk SKUs and fresh food emphasis.
• Tenda Atacado: Brazilian cash-and-carry wholesale chain operating the same self-service wholesale model targeting small merchants and end consumers. Direct competitor in same geographies with overlapping SKU strategy and pricing approach.
• Makro Brasil: Brazilian cash-and-carry chain (part of the SHV Holdings group) serving small businesses and HoReCa. Direct competitor with similar store format, bulk assortment, and foodservice customer base.
• Atacadão: Carrefour-owned Brazilian cash-and-carry wholesale banner and the country's #1 food retailer by wholesale. Directly comparable to Assaí in store format, B2B/B2C dual customer base, and product assortment across all Brazilian states.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/assaioficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/assaioficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/assaiatacadistaoficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3624827
• Instagraminstagram.com/assaiatacadistaoficial
• TikToktiktok.com/@assaiatacadistaoficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Assaí Atacadista