The most informative article about markets and stores in Seychelles. You’ll learn about the largest shopping malls in the country, their operating hours, insights into shopping, a supermarket with European products, and the range in stores. There will be plenty of useful information to assist you in your journey through the Seychelles archipelago

Shopping in Seychelles: General Information

Let’s begin by noting that the Seychelles population, according to the latest census, comprises around 94-97 thousand people. However, they don’t reside in one place but across 33 islands of the archipelago. Regarding shopping in Seychelles, it’s akin to a large village with all its implications.

Helpful to Know:

In Seychelles, there’s no Zara, H&M, IKEA, Apple store, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and so forth — you can add to the list as desired. Global brands are practically absent here because they find the market uninteresting where the population is less than that of a single residential district in a major city. Additionally, these are islands in the Indian Ocean, more than 1000 km away from the nearest continent, which complicates logistics. Learn more about Seychelles on the world map.
  • Another interesting aspect relates to operating hours. Seychelles, being on the equator, experiences nearly consistent dusk from 18:00 to 19:00 throughout the year. As it’s a significant village, everything closes after 20:00; buses cease, and absolutely nothing operates. Only restaurants for tourists might function past 20:00; locals are already asleep. More information on Seychelles time, time zone, peculiarities, and locals’ punctuality.

Now, let’s delve into specifics about markets, shopping malls, and stores in Seychelles, their nuances, and unique features.

Large Shopping Malls in Seychelles

There’s only one large supermarket in Seychelles, comparable in size to our familiar Carrefour or Auchan, situated in the capital, Victoria. It’s called STC.

stores in Seychelles
The only supermarket in the country and the largest store in Seychelles. There are no others even close.

This is the sole store in Seychelles (excluding markets) where you can purchase fresh meat, find a wide selection of dairy products, and numerous frozen seafood options. Overall, if regular stores lack variety, this is the place to go. There’s nowhere else with such diversity.

main shopping mall in Seychelles
Classic supermarket, akin to those at home.

A few more details:

  • STC has a currency exchange office, a rarity in the country. If you haven’t exchanged currency at the airport and this supermarket is closer, it’s worth a visit. Learn all about currency in Seychelles, the best exchange rates, and which currency to bring.
  • Tip: Avoid visiting this store on weekends; it’s chaotic. The parking lot is impossible to enter; locals have a tendency to turn weekends into a family outing to the only major store in Seychelles, stocking up groceries for a week or two. Shopping carts overflowing. You’ll spend an hour trying to park and another hour in line at the checkout – is that what you want?
  • Moreover, exploring Victoria to see the city is better planned on a weekday. Weekends here have severe traffic jams. In the linked article: an extensive review of Victoria and its attractions. It also includes coordinates for free parking to avoid the worst traffic.

Bonus:

1 km from STC is a large warehouse-store called ISPC. Here, you can purchase various imported products, mostly from Europe, including global alcoholic beverages like wines, whiskey, tequila, rum, cognac, and more. Local alcohol is available in any store in Seychelles. All about alcohol on the islands.
  • Coordinates: -4.632655439731717, 55.464864965515375. Access to the store is only via a bridge; check the map, and it’ll make sense.
  • Store Name: ISPC Seychelles
  • Official Website: https://ispcyachtsupplies.com
  • Operating Hours: 8:00 to 17:00. Saturdays until 13:00. Closed on Sundays.
  • They also have refrigerators stocked with European products. You might find familiar items here.
alcohol in a store in Seychelles time
Alcohol in Seychelles stores is only sold from 11:30 AM on weekdays and from 8:30 AM on weekends.
shopping malls seychelles
This is the retail area of the ISPC Seychelles supermarket.

Fish Market and Local Markets in Seychelles: What You Need to Know

Key points to know about the markets in Seychelles.

  • There is only one large market, also in Victoria. It offers items, produce, and fish all in one place. Detailed information about it can be found in the article reviewing Victoria, with coordinates and more photos. The link was provided earlier.
  • There aren’t many other major markets in Seychelles. However, in various parts of the islands, there are mini fruit and fish markets. Often, along the roads, you’ll encounter vendors selling fresh fish or vegetables. Usually, in each village, there’s a spot where 2-3 vendors may operate. One sells fish, another fruits and vegetables, and a third sells goats, pigeons, guinea pigs for food.
What can you buy in a store in Seychelles
If you thought I was joking, I’m not. A typical mini market along the road. Pigeons go for 75 rupees per kilogram (about 5 euros). And they’re not sold for weddings to take beautiful photos with newlyweds 🙂 And yes, they also breed and eat guinea pigs here.

For those interested, here are two useful articles to expand your knowledge:

General points you should know about markets in Seychelles:

  • They operate from morning until lunchtime, usually until 3 PM. After that, everything is closed.
  • Payment is only accepted in cash.
  • Don’t expect a wide variety of seafood at the fish markets in Seychelles. There’s a lot of local reef fish, tuna, sometimes octopus, depending on the catch of the day. Everything else is imported; you’ll need to look for frozen items in stores – lobsters, shrimps, marlin. And remember, imported goods are expensive.
  • Prices are almost the same everywhere, whether you buy fruits at the central market in Victoria or at a fruit stall in a remote village, the difference is negligible.
  • Markets in Seychelles are not like Eastern bazaars. There’s not much bargaining here. You might try to negotiate a lower price if buying a lot of fish. But overall, the prices are almost the same everywhere. It’s better to know the price beforehand; sometimes sellers try to sell fish to tourists at inflated prices.
fish market in seychelles
This is the main market in Victoria. On the left: fruit and vegetable section, and on the right in the photo: the fish market. As you can see, there’s not much difference in variety. Both are under one roof.
markets in seychelles fruit vegetable
Mini markets in Seychelles can be found on any island along the road; there are quite a few. They look like the photo. Prices are more or less the same as elsewhere; you can confidently buy what you need here.

Stores in Seychelles

Since there’s only one supermarket for the entire country, let’s talk about where people buy groceries. These are small grocery stores, about 3-4 in each village. They vary in size from 4 square meters to 500 square meters. Here’s what you need to know about these stores in Seychelles:

  • They’re owned by Indians who also work there; it’s usually a family business.
  • Assortment: the basics, not a huge variety – canned goods, cereals, and bread. Some have refrigerators with frozen items.
  • Alcohol is sold in every one of them.
  • They don’t have fixed opening hours. They open and close when they want. A vendor might close the store for lunch and go to sleep.
  • Prices are more or less the same everywhere and not higher than in Victoria.
  • You can pay by card or cash everywhere.

Helpful to know:

In general, if your children aren’t too picky, you eat at restaurants or take away, and you need a store only for snacks, water, ice cream, then you won’t have problems. Any store in Seychelles will fully meet your needs. Problems might arise for those who are used to cooking themselves, have picky children, and need products similar to those at home. Indian stores lack a wide selection of yogurts, dairy, cheese, sausages, and so on. Such products need to be sought in Victoria’s supermarkets, which I mentioned earlier. There are also small stores called Chop Shop. They also have some European goods, one of which is located near Anse Royale.
store in Seychelles opening hours
The most ordinary store in Seychelles; there are hundreds of them. They are in every village, some smaller, some larger.
shops in the Seychelles range of products
I’ve created a collage photo to show what these stores look like inside for a general idea.

Here are a few more very useful articles to read before bedtime:

In conclusion: I hope the picture is clear to you now. Markets and stores in Seychelles are quite different from what we’re used to; I’d say they’re stuck in the 90s, about 20 years behind our level. There’s no shopping in Seychelles, don’t expect it.

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