QuickMart Supermarket is set to open four more stores in Kiambu, Nairobi, Kilifi and Trans Nzoia counties, boosting the retail sector in Kenya
The retail chain’s marketing director Betty Wamaitha made the announcement and said that the upcoming stores will raise the retailer’s branch network across the country to 45 as it races to catch up with top retailer Naivas which plans to open three more outlets in the next few weeks across the country.
The first store will be at Chania Mall on Kenyatta Road in Thika town, a space that was previously occupied by Tuskys. The second will be situated at OTC within the Central Business District in Nairobi while the third will be at Mtwapa Mall in Kilifi. The final store will be located in Kitale town in Trans Nzoia.
Retail industry
“QuickMart remains focused on its fresh concept allocating up to 30 -40% of the floor space to its fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh foods from its deli, bakery and the butchery and this will be rolled out in the new locations,” said Betty Wamaitha.
The Thika branch comes a few months after Tuskys ceased operations at the outlet on dwindling cash flows. QuickMart gained a bigger financial muscle after Sokoni Retail Kenya acquired a controlling stake in the retailer and merged operations with its outfit Tumaini Self Service to form a single operation under the QuickMart brand.
The retail industry has in the past seen an entry of new international players like Carrefour raising competition that partly resulted in the collapse of Nakumatt and Uchumi supermarkets. As a result, retailers like Naivas Supermarkets have sought additional capital to scale up operations in a highly competitive market. Naivas signed an agreement with French equity fund Amethis Fund to sell 30% stake to its expansion.
