CNAE codes for supermarkets, grocers, butchers and produce stores in Brazil
The main CNAE code for supermarkets and grocery stores in Brazil is 4711-3/02 – Comércio varejista de mercadorias em geral, com predominância de produtos alimentícios - supermercados (Supermarkets). Minimarkets and grocers use 4712-1/00, hypermarkets 4711-3/01, butchers 4722-9/01 and produce stores 4724-5/00. To prospect this segment, search codes 4711-3/02, 4711-3/01, 4712-1/00, 4729-6/99, 4722-9/01, 4724-5/00 as both primary and secondary CNAE, keep only active CNPJs, then filter by company size and city.
CNAE codes for supermarkets and grocery stores
CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) is Brazil's official activity classification. Every company registered with a CNPJ declares one primary CNAE and any number of secondary ones. These are the CNAE 2.3 subclasses most used by supermarkets and grocery stores:
| CNAE | Official description (pt) | English | When it shows up |
|---|---|---|---|
4711-3/02 | Comércio varejista de mercadorias em geral, com predominância de produtos alimentícios - supermercados | Supermarkets | Supermarkets |
4711-3/01 | Comércio varejista de mercadorias em geral, com predominância de produtos alimentícios - hipermercados | Hypermarkets | Hypermarkets |
4712-1/00 | Comércio varejista de mercadorias em geral, com predominância de produtos alimentícios - minimercados, mercearias e armazéns | Minimarkets and grocery stores | Minimarkets and corner stores |
4729-6/99 | Comércio varejista de produtos alimentícios em geral ou especializado em produtos alimentícios não especificados anteriormente | Other food retail | Specialty food stores |
4722-9/01 | Comércio varejista de carnes - açougues | Butchers | Butcher shops |
4724-5/00 | Comércio varejista de hortifrutigranjeiros | Fruit and vegetable retail | Produce stores |
Search primary and secondary CNAE
Many supermarkets and grocery stores register their real activity as a secondary CNAE, because the CNPJ was opened under another primary activity or because they do more than one thing. Neighborhood supermarkets often declare butcher, bakery and produce as secondary. Filtering on the primary code alone misses part of the market.
Who sells to supermarkets and grocery stores
Food retail is Brazil's largest consumer goods channel, buying from hundreds of suppliers.
- Food, beverage, cleaning and hygiene brands and distributors
- POS, scales, ERP and inventory systems
- Commercial refrigeration and maintenance
- Solar energy (24-hour refrigeration)
- Security, cleaning and pest control
How to build a list of supermarkets and grocery stores in Brazil
- Pick the codes: start with
4711-3/02and add4711-3/01,4712-1/00,4729-6/99,4722-9/01,4724-5/00depending on what you sell. - Search them as primary and secondary CNAE.
- Keep only active registrations (situação cadastral ativa) to drop unfit, suspended or closed CNPJs.
- Narrow by location (state, city, neighborhood) and company size (MEI, ME, EPP, other). Grocers are ME; neighborhood supermarkets ME and EPP; regional chains EPP or larger with branches.
- Keep companies with contact data (email or phone) and save the filter as a reusable segment.
- Write a segment-specific opener and track replies in a pipeline.
1Lead runs all of these filters in one search over Brazil's public company registry, and its AI suggests adjacent CNAE codes from a plain-language description such as "cleaning products maker looking for supermarkets and grocers in São Paulo state". The product interface is in Portuguese.
Qualification signals
- Branches: a regional chain with central purchasing.
- Recently opened store: setting suppliers and range.
- Butcher and bakery as secondary: a larger store.
How to approach this segment
Supermarket buyers think turnover, margin and stockouts. Show sales data from similar stores and listing terms.
Example first message (in Portuguese, with translation)
Frequently asked questions
What is the CNAE code for a supermarket in Brazil?
4711-3/02 for supermarkets and 4711-3/01 for hypermarkets.
Where is the official CNAE table?
IBGE publishes it in the CONCLA online search, with the full hierarchy (section, division, group, class, subclass) and notes on what each code includes and excludes.