Retail chain Naivas supermarkets has opened a new outlet in Mombasa’s central business district, in a move to widen its footprint in Kenya’s coastal region.
The new branch, Naivas Digo branch, brings the retail's store's at the coast to six and makes outlets countrywide to 56.
It comes close on the heels of the recent addition in Ngong town.
According to Naivas chief commercial officer Willy Kimani, the store's focus is to tend to the high population in the island and the north coast.
“This year, we decided to ramp up our coastal presence with a new large outlet on the fairly busy Digo Road to tap into a growing population of walk –in shoppers as well as the motorists who work on that side of the business district,” Kimani said.
He added that the rapid growth of Mombasa’s metropolitan population, estimated at 3 million people, meant that there was still room for additional Naivas branches.
With this growth in the coastal network, the firm expects to add at least another 100 new jobs.
“With recent improvements in transport connecting Mombasa to the hinterland, domestic tourism especially has risen in this region, pointing to a latent demand for similar retail services. At the same time, the evolution of the devolution model has registered high levels of success, giving us a huge opportunity to set up in this location,” he said.
The firm has announced to set up additional stores after carrying out feasibility studies to establish appropriate locations.
In 2019, Naivas had added nearly ten new outlets to its fast-growing national network.
