In the red retailer, Nakumatt, has closed its Lavington and Prestige outlets just one month after shutting down operations at its Kisumu branch.
With the closure of the aforementioned branches, the once prosperous retailer now only has three remaining operational branches in the country. The three are: Nakumatt Nakuru, Highridge and Mega.
Notices on the premises which held the Lavington and Prestige branches have confirmed that the spaces have already been rented out to rival retailer Naivas, which is on an aggressive local expansion drive.
In October, Naivas announced plans to open four new additional outlets, in an effort to expand its customer base and local footprint. The outlets will be located in Mombasa, Embu and Nairobi’s Yaya Centre. The fourth branch will be located along the Eastern Bypass.
“Our target is to serve each County head quarter but as of now, we have a pipeline that will ensure we also tap into rapidly urbanizing areas such as Ngong, Kitengela, Ongata Rongai and Machakos,” Willy Kimani, Naivas Chief Operating Officer said then.
With the acquisition of extra space in Lavington and Prestige, the retailer’s expansion plan is looking firmly on track. As of August, the retailer had 53 working branches all over the country but the number is expected to rise with the announcement of the aforementioned expansion plans.
The retailer attributes its successful expansion to conducting continuous in-house research that informs the company on areas to invest and customer needs to respond to.
“Convenience matter greatly to shoppers and thus over the years we have strived to offer as much of this as possible in as many ways as we can, including establishing branches in easily accessible locations, designing interiors for better navigation, shelf arrangements for easier reach and payment processes that are fast and secure, “ Mr. Kimani added back in October.
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