• In March, it opened the second branch at the Garden City Mall in Nairobi. It has also concluded a lease agreement with the Karen Waterfront
South African retailer Shoprite is planning to open its first shop outside Nairobi at the City Mall in Mombasa next month.
The retailer in a statement said It is eager to open two more supermarkets - City Mall, Mombasa (end of August) and another in Nairobi before the end of this year.
"The City Mall store will carry an extensive range of locally produced products with some imported items from around the world. It will be the first Shoprite outlet with a seating area inside where customers can enjoy foods prepared in the store’s fresh foods departments," Shoprite Kenya general manager Andrew Mweemba said in a statement.
Shoprite opened its first store at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi in December 2018 where the Kenyan country head office has also been established.
In March, it opened the second branch at the Garden City Mall in Nairobi. It has also concluded a lease agreement with the Karen Waterfront.
The retailer expanded into Kenya to strengthen its position in East Africa, where it operates stores in Uganda and Tanzania.
"Shoprite sees a lot of potential in the country and is excited about the prospect of expanding its footprint over time," Mweemba said.
City Mall proprietor Anish Doshi said they are very excited that Shoprite is now only a few weeks away from opening its first store in Mombasa and their third store overall in Kenya.
Shoprite hopes to further contribute to the local economy, with 115 new jobs being created at the new City Mall store and over 240 job opportunities already created in Nairobi.
Shoprite has taken advantage of the turmoil in Kenya’s big retail chains, which have been struggling with supplier, rent and salary debts.
Last year, it said it was planning to open at seven prime shopping malls in Kenya previously owned mostly by the struggling Nakumatt Limited.
Nakumatt was the largest regional retailer with 64 stores strewn across Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda before its rapid financial meltdown.