Nakumatt is a Kenyan supermarket chain. "Nakumatt" is an abbreviation for Nakuru Mattress.
Overview
As of December 2015, Nakumatt had nearly 65 stores in the African Great Lakes countries of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. 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.
Regional subsidiaries
On 23 August 2008, Nakumatt opened its first store outside Kenya in the Union Trade Center, in Kigali, Rwanda. In June 2009, the first Nakumatt store in Uganda opened on Yusuf Lule Road on Kololo Hill, in central Kampala, 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 and Bukoto, 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
As of October 2015 the supermarket chain had 55 stores in the African Great Lakes, including at the following locations:
-  Kenya â€" Forty-Six stores.
-  Uganda â€" Nine stores: 1. Oasis Mall, Yusuf Lule Road, Central Kampala 2. Luthuli Rise, Bugoloobi 3. Kira Road, Bukoto 4. Village Mall, Bugoloobi 5. Acacia Mall, Kololo 6. Muganzirwazza Mall, Katwe. 7. Victoria Mall in Entebbe 8. One in Mbarara. and 9. One in Naalya, in suburban Kampala
-  Rwanda â€" Three stores in Kigali.
-  Tanzania â€" Five stores; one in Moshi, one in Arusha, and three stores in Dar es Salaam.
- Â Burundi - One store in development in Bujumbura
- Â South Sudan - Cancelled
Finances
Turnover in 2006 was over US$200 million, up 120% on the previous year. In 2013, turnover (annual gross revenue) was estimat ot about US$650 million.
Ownership
Nakumatt is a wholly Kenyan, privately held company, owned by the Atul Shah 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 will still remain the largest shareholder 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 Nairobi 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 Kenya's largest and capital city, Nairobi, through the construction of upscale malls throughout the Nairobi area, which include brand name stores, banks, international eateries, theatres, etc.:
- Nakumatt Mega - 24-hour supermarket
- Nakumatt Junction
- Nakumatt Ukay - Kenya's first 24-hour supermarket
- Nakumatt West Gate - Renovated - destroyed in Westgate shopping mall attack in 2013.
- Nakumatt Prestige
- Nakumatt Galleria on Langata Road
- Nakumatt Lifestyle - 24-hour supermarket
- Nakumatt TRM (Thika Road Mall)
- Nakumatt Garden City Mall - along Thika Super Highway
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
See also
References
External links
- 2009 Nakumatt Fire
- Nakumatt Official Website
- Nakumatt Sets Stage To Open 50th Store In August 2014
- Nakumatt In Search of Equity Partner, Plans Expansion Into Western & Southern Africa
- Nakumatt With Eight Stores In Uganda By December 2013
- Nakumatt’s profit drops to Sh305m after high costs