Naivas supermarket has opened its 96th branch store in Kisii town to serve the increasing customer base in the region and edge closer to its journey of becoming the leading retailer to open 100 stores.
The supermarket is located at the newly built Kisii Naivas Mall opposite St. Vincent Pastoral Center, a space that was previously occupied by The Kisii Hotel.
Speaking to the press, Naivas Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Willy Kimani expressed his joy at the opening of the new store saying the move was necessitated by customers who have been requesting for something bigger that can accommodate them.
Mr. Kimani said the step was a big milestone for Kenyan retailers and the goal is to ensure that Kenya takes the lead in the retail front and prove that local-bred supermarket chains can make it.
“It has not been easy, and especially with the current macro-economic environment where inflation has seen the prices of commodities going up. However, we have been coming up with clear initiatives like Naivas Kikapu Kibonge to cushion our shoppers,” he noted.
The Chief Commercial Officer pointed out that they have been working with suppliers as gatekeepers to ensure they don’t just change prices, but work towards protecting the customers even if it means making less money.
Kimani said they will be opening four more stores in the next two months, with two of them being in Malindi and Kakamega towns as they get closer to unveiling the 100th store in the country.
“We are looking forward to growing our partnership and footprint while working closely with our landlord, retail space partners, customers, suppliers, and everybody else and making sure that our staff are at the centre of it all,” he added.
Naivas’ first store in Kisii was opened 14 years ago next to Kisii Main Stage, but the shoppers struggled with parking space due to the increasing development of the town forcing some of them to opt for supermarkets with adequate parking space.
The second new store has been embraced openly by the locals who thronged the facility for the better part of the day after it was opened.
The store is strategically placed near Daraja Mbili Market which witnesses a beehive of activities, especially during the market days on Monday and Thursday.
According to the Kenya Retail Report (2022) by Cytonn, the sector witnessed an increase in market activities as evidenced by the aggressive expansion of local and international retailers including Naivas, QuickMart, and Chandarana Food Plus supermarkets.
The report cited that Naivas supermarket had opened 5 new stores spread across Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu, and, Nakuru counties, QuickMart supermarket opened 3 new stores in Nairobi and Kajiado counties, and Chandarana Food Plus opened a new outlet in Nairobi’s Westlands.
Despite the expansion being witnessed by some retailers, supermarkets such as Tuskys, Nakumatt, Uchumi, Shoprite, Game, and Choppies have been shut down in the recent past due to competition from other stores or bankruptcy.
In fact, the QuickMart store in Kisii is now occupying the space that was previously owned by Tuskys, who took over from Nakumatt after the giant retail store shut down in 2017.
By Mercy Osongo
