Naivas Grocery store, Kenya’s largest homegrown retail chain, managed by the Mukuha household, has opened its one hundred and tenth department at West Bay Mall in Redhill, Kiambu County, changing into the primary native chain to achieve this milestone.
The brand new outlet comes as Naivas marks 35 years since its first retailer in Nakuru in 1990. The department set to serve residents of Redhill, Gachie, and surrounding communities reaffirms Naivas’ dominance in Kenya’s Ksh1 trillion ($7.74 billion) retail sector.
Increasing attain in a dynamic market
Naivas’ growth comes as Kenyan customers face rising dwelling prices; the retailer is betting on smaller, neighborhood shops that provide comfort and affordability even within the midst of intensifying competitors from chains equivalent to Quickmart, Chandarana, and Carrefour.
“The Redhill retailer is not only one other outlet; it represents our continued promise to make purchasing handy, reasonably priced, and near the place folks dwell,” mentioned Kimjackson Njeru, Naivas’ senior business supervisor. “We’re dedicated to reaching extra households and making certain on a regular basis purchasing stays rewarding.”
The brand new retailer sits in one in all Nairobi’s fastest-growing corridors, reflecting Naivas’ shift towards compact codecs suited to peri-urban and suburban customers. This makes its technique match with how folks’s purchasing habits are altering because of the push for contemporary retail that’s straightforward to get to.
Robust funds and investor confidence
Naivas’ progress is supported by sturdy monetary backing from a gaggle of buyers led by the Mauritius-based IBL Group, in addition to Proparco from France and DEG from Germany. This enhance has given Naivas each cash and operational know-how, which has helped the corporate modernize and develop regardless that costs are going up and prices are going up.
The shop’s energy comes from protecting prices low, working with native suppliers, and having good logistics. These are the issues which have stored the shop worthwhile even when the economic system is dangerous. Naivas’ digital transformation, loyalty packages, and efforts to purchase items from native companies have all helped to maintain clients and dependable to the model.
“The shopper stays on the coronary heart of every part we do,” Njeru added. “Our mission is to make on a regular basis purchasing higher for each Kenyan family whereas supporting native producers and creating jobs.”
From a household retailer to nationwide model
Based in 1990 by the late Peter Mukuha Kago as a small store in Rongai, Naivas has grown into Kenya’s main retail powerhouse. The Mukuha household, nonetheless the bulk proprietor, retains the enterprise growth in kenya, fueling a nationwide rollout and deeper presence in each cities and cities, whilst worldwide buyers assist drive progress with funding.
With 110 shops now open, Naivas is specializing in effectivity and market consolidation. Naivas’ mixture of household management and institutional backing offers it the flexibleness and stability wanted to remain forward in a fast-changing retail market. Naivas’ rise from a single household store to a billion-shilling retail empire mirrors Kenya’s shopper story, domestically rooted, globally supported, and woven into on a regular basis life.