The majority of people enjoy shopping under one roof. They go to places where they can get food, furniture, cosmetics, clothing, and gadgets all in one place. It reduces movement from one location to another, saving time. Kenyan supermarkets meet this need admirably.
As Kenyans continue to embrace one-stop shopping, supermarkets keep expanding wings to serve this purpose. Every Kenyan supermarket chain is working hard to outperform competitors.
The competition is fierce, and well-known supermarket chains are constantly striving to open new centers, particularly in major cities such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru.
Leading supermarkets in Kenya opened 19 new stores in 2021, fueled in part by a rebound in consumer demand and cash from private equity funds that had previously acquired stakes in two of the four retailers.
Naivas, Quick Mart, Carrefour, and Chandarana Foodplus strengthened their grip on Kenya’s retail sector, filling the void left by the failures of Nakumatt, Tuskys, and Uchumi, as well as the departure of the renowned Shoprite and Botswana retailer Choppies.
According to data compiled by Property Fund, Quick Mart opened six new stores, followed by Naivas and Carrefour with five each, and Chandarana Foodplus with three.
Leading Supermarkets in Kenya
1. Naivas Supermarkets
2. Quickmart Supermarkets
3. Carrefour Supermarkets
4. Chandarana Foodplus
5. Eastmatt Supermarkets
6. Cleanshelf Supermarkets
7. Game Stores
8. Society Stores
9. Tumaini Supermarkets
10. Mulleys Supermarkets
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11. Kassmart Supermarkets
12. Magunas Supermarkets
13. Khetia’s Supermarkets
14. Mathais Supermarkets
15. Selfridges Supermarkets
16. Village Supermarket
17. Gilani’s Supermarket (Nakuru)
18. Shivilings Supermarkets Kenya (Western & Nyanza)
19. Powerstar Supermarkets
20. Sayen Hypermarket (Meru)
According to a report by Business Daily, Naivas, which raised Sh6 billion in 2020 by selling a 30% stake to a consortium of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Amethis Finance (France), MCB Equity Fund (Mauritius), and German sovereign wealth fund DEG, ended the year with 78 outlets.
Growth-hungry Quick Mart, on the other hand, has 46 branches thanks to an investment from Africa-focused Adenia Partners, while Chandarana Foodplus and Carrefour Kenya have 23 and 16, respectively.
Nakumatt, Uchumi, Tuskys, and Choppies all closed their doors with debts totaling more than Sh30 billion, including taxes.
