It comes at a time Naivas is racing against time to defend its market leadership against top retailers such as Quickmart and Carrefour that have also been opening new branches in the last few months.
“Other stores lined up for opening include an outlet at Githurai 44 and a foodmarket in Kisumu City both of which are expected to start operations before end of July,” Naivas’ chief commercial officer Willy Kimani said during the opening of the retailers 73rd branch along Mundi Mbingu street in Nairobi yesterday.
The Githurai 44 store comes barely a month after the retailer opened its 72nd branch in Eldoret town.
The retail chain in May took over the former Tuskys space at the strategic Zion Mall within the town’s Central Business District. The Eldoret store is the third outlet operated by the retailer in the North Rift hub.
The retailer is also planning to open a branch in Kisumu at Simba Club Hall next to United Mall targeting hundreds of shoppers around the region.
The Kisumu branch comes a few months after Tuskys ceased operations at the outlet on dwindling cash flows.
The company and its top rivals, QuickMart and Carrefour are among the retailers that are spending heavily to expand, seeking to fill voids left by collapsed and beleaguered supermarkets.
Tuskys, for instance, has been rapidly shutting stores over the past few weeks on the back of a heavy debt and insufficient working capital.
The collapse of former retail giant Nakumatt Holdings also left scores of prime locations that Naivas and Carrefour have moved into.
