Naivas opens 67th store at Nakumatt Lifestyle’s former location
Naivas Supermarkets on Tuesday opened its 67th store at Hazina Towers in a space previously occupied by Nakumatt Lifestyle, in a mall at the heart of Nairobi city on Monrovia Street.
The new outlet by Naivas is the fourth branch to be opened in the busy Nairobi Central Business District, at a time its closest rival Tuskys shut several stores due to cash flow challenges.
Naivas has other CBD outlets at Ronald Ngala, Development House and Moi Avenue and has diversified its outlets, redesigning them to have a modern appeal, including grocery sections, delis and more recently, added an alcohol section to grow its revenue.
The family-run retailer began opening alcohol kiosks within its newly-opened food market stores with the launch of new outlets that offered shoppers a wide variety of products, including fresh produce.
Naivas chief commercial officer Willy Kimani said the new branch speaks to the resilience of the retailer in defying a tough business environment due to Covid-19 disruptions to keep up with its expansion strategy.
“The new store, a food market is the first of our stores of this format within the Central Business District (CBD). It will be stocked with a variety of quality products to choose, ranging from fresh produce, branded food, general household items, electronics among many others,” he said.
Mr Kimani indicated that the retailer will remain focused on the Kenyan consumer, keeping expansion local first before looking at going to other countries.
Naivas plans to open an additional two outlets, a food market in Rongai and a supermarket at Ananas Mall in Thika, before the year ends, a move that will bring its total branch count to 70.