Thika gets Sh500m shopping mall with Tuskys as anchor

Thika town is now home to a Sh500 million shopping mall developed by a consortium of investors who include a director of Capwell Industries Ltd, the makers of Soko Ugali maize flour.

Mr Chetan Shah has teamed up with other investors to set up Ananas Mall on a six-acre plot along Garissa Road in Thika’s populous Makongeni Estate. The shopping complex, set to be completed in April, has about 90,000 square feet of retail space.

Tuskys Supermarket has booked space as the anchor tenant for the mall, which also has a food court, departmental stores and kids’ play area.

“We are a group of Thika investors who have resided in Thika for over 40 years. The investors identified the growing needs of the Thika community and rightfully decided on this investment,” said Mr Shah in an interview.

“There is a growing middle class here in Thika and bringing them the mall experience means shoppers do not need to travel to Nairobi and all their needs are catered for at very close proximity,” said Mr Shah, who is also a director of the upcoming shopping complex.

Capwell is a family-run food manufacturing business whose products include maize flour (Soko Ugali and Pendana), Best Cook baking flour and rice (Pearl, Ranee and Mwea Pishori).

READ: Soko flour miller buys out rival in Sh200 million deal

Ananas Mall is billed Thika’s biggest shopping arcade and is set to rival Chania shopping complex and the Nakumatt Thika branch.

Innscor Africa opened three food stores — Pizza Inn, Creamy Inn and Galitos — at the Ananas Mall on Christmas Day last year, marking the entry of the Harare-based fast-food chain in Thika.

Other retailers who have booked space at Ananas Mall include Bata, City Walk, Mimosa Pharmacy, Safaricom, Telecom Orange and kids’ clothing shop Trendy Totoz.

Tuskys said it aims to open its store at the mall in the first week of February and is currently undertaking fit out works at the shopping complex.

“We’ve ordered the shelfing from abroad which has been delivered and the fittings will take two weeks and another two weeks to stock the store,” said Peter Leparachao, Tuskys chief operating officer.

“We see a lot of opportunities in the new store given the huge growth of Thika town,” he said.

The Tuskys shop at Ananas Mall will be its third in Thika town — as it already has an outlet at Chania and a convenient store named Chap Chap on Uhuru Street.

The investment by Tuskys put it in a fierce retail battle for the control of Thika with Nakumatt, which opened its store in the industrial town in February 2013.

The other tier-two retailers in Thika are Mathai, Maguna Andu, Leens, Kassmart and Thika Tex Supermarket.

Thika hosts several industries including Bidco Oil Refineries, juice maker Del Monte, Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers, Broadway Bakery, Kenblest Bakery, Kifaru Industries, Thika Coffee Mills and Crown Beverages.

The town has several institutions of higher learning such as Mount Kenya University, Gretsa University, Umma University, Thika Medical Training College, Thika School of Medical & Health Sciences and the Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute.