Kenyan grocery retailer Naivas has officially opened its new supermarket in Ciata City Mall, Nairobi. The new store, which is a flagship store under the ‘Food Market’ banner, is directly opposite Nakumatt’s Ridgeways store on the Kiambu Rd. It is Naivas’s 42nd store overall. The centrepiece of the 3,250m² store is a large fresh section with in-store bakery, meat counter, dairy, hot food and pizza oven.
The anchor tenancy in the new mall was supposed to be occupied by Uchumi, which withdrew following financial constraints. Naivas agreed to take up the lease in November 2015 and was originally due to to move in by the end of 2016, but the date was shifted back. Naivas actually increased the footprint of the site for the supermarket over what Uchumi had agreed to, and helped fund its construction.
The Naivas store opening is a double blow for Nakumatt, which has long ‘owned’ the Kiambu Rd. Nakumatt was due to open a new store 9km down the road in the new Kiambu Mall. Kiambu Mall is opening in August 2017 with Nakumatt’s spot now taken by Choppies.
