Nakumatt was a Kenyan

supermarket chain A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...

. "Nakumatt" is an abbreviation for Nakuru Mattress.

Overview

, Nakumatt had 65 stores in the

African Great Lakes The African Great Lakes (; ) are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. The series includes Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world by area; Lake Tangan ...

countries of

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. It employed over 5,500, and had gross annual revenue in excess of US$450 million. At that time, it had plans to enter other African countries and to increase the number of stores in the countries where it already had a presence. In October 2017 the company ran out of funds and did not pay rents or wages. 60 stores were closed
As of March 2021, the chain had only one store in operation.

Regional subsidiaries

On 23 August 2008, Nakumatt opened its first store outside Kenya in the Union Trade Center, in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relativ ...

, Rwanda. In June 2009, the first Nakumatt store in Uganda opened on Yusuf Lule Road on Kololo Hill, in central

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

, the capital city. In November 2010, Nakumatt expanded its footprint in Kampala by acquiring Payless Supermarket, a Ugandan supermarket chain with two stores in the Kampala suburbs of

Bugoloobi Bugoloobi sometimes spelled as Bugolobi, is a location in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It is a suburban neighborhood and some of the most valuable properties in Kampala are found here. It is among the most developed neighborhoods ...

and

Bukoto Bukoto is a township within the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest metropolitan area. Location Bukoto is bordered by Kisaasi to the north, Kigoowa to the north-east, Ntinda to the east, Naguru to the south-east, Kololo to the south ...

, bringing the number of stores in Uganda to three. The initial investment in the store in Kololo was approximately US$3 million. The two Payless Supermarket stores cost an estimated US$650,000. Nakumatt plans to expand the new stores at a later date. In February 2016, the retail chain announced plans to open five new stores outside Kenya during the first half of the year.

Branches

the supermarket chain had five stores in

, including at the following locations: one in

Nakuru Nakuru (nicknamed Nax) is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and it is the fourth largest city in Kenya and the largest in the Rift Valley region. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban population of 570, ...

and four stores in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. Prestige, Lavington, Embakasi, Mega. The Mega branch on Uhuru Highway now takes a smaller space adjacent to the proposed Carrefour Mega.

Finances

Turnover in 2006 was over US$200 million, up 120% on the previous year. In 2013, turnover (annual gross revenue) was estimated at US$650 million.

Ownership

Nakumatt was a wholly

Kenyan The Demographics of Kenya is monitored by the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics. Kenya is a multi-ethnic state in East Africa. Its total population was at 47,558,296 as of the 2019 census. A national census was conducted in 1999, although t ...

, privately held company, owned by the

Atul Shah Atul Shah is a businessman and entrepreneur in Kenya. He is the managing director and chief executive officer of the Nakumatt Holdings Limited, the parent company of Nakumatt Supermarkets, the largest, privately owned supermarket chain in the Afr ...

family. In July 2013, Kenyan print media indicated that the chain planned to sell a 25% stake to yet an unidentified investor and use the funds for regional expansion. After that sale, the Shah family would still remain the largest shareholders in the company.

Safety

The chain has a poor safety record and has faced strong criticism mainly regarding shoppers' and employees' safety. Main case in point is the 2009 Nakumatt fire in which over 29 people lost their lives. However, the management has taken steps to ensure that such accidents do not happen again.

2009 Nakumatt fire

A Nakumatt store in

suffered a massive fire on 28 January 2009, killing about 29 people.

High-end malls

Nakumatt has played a significant role in the urban development of

's largest and capital city,

, through the construction of upscale malls throughout the

area, which include brand name stores, banks, theaters and international eateries.

Sole Sad & Invisible

The website of Nakumatt Holdings Limited was hacked by Iranian hackers called Sole Sad & Invisible. The website as of 31 May 2014 shows a message that the website is under construction. There is a new website www.nakumatt.net

Closure and going out of business

Nakumatt began experiencing serious cash-flow issues in 2016. It was unable to meet its financial obligations to landlords, suppliers, and staff. An administrator was appointed to help it re-gain financial footing. However, in December 2019 the retail chain sold the last six branches to

Naivas Supermarkets Naivas Supermarket, often referred to simply as "Naivas", is the largest supermarket chain in Kenya, with 106 outlets as of November 2024. At that time, it was the largest supermarket chain in Kenya, ahead of Quick Mart Limited, which had 51 ou ...

in a deal that will see the Nakumatt brand completely disappear by the end of 2019. Creditors formally voted to liquidate the company on 7 January 2020

References

External links

* 2009 Nakumatt Fire
Nakumatt Official Website

* ttp://allafrica.com/stories/201310130164.html Nakumatt With Eight Stores In Uganda By December 2013
Nakumatt’s profit drops to Sh305m after high costs
{{Authority control Supermarkets of Kenya Retail companies established in 1987 Kenyan companies established in 1987