Carrefour gears up for new Village Market outlet

Carrefour outlet at The Hub mall in Karen, Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

What you need to know:

  • Construction and fitting of the new branch comes a month after struggling retailer Nakumatt closed its Village Market branch due to rent arrears.
  • The planned outlet mostly focus on food items.
  • Majid Al Futtaim, the local franchise holder, currently has 230 Carrefour stores across 15 markets under his belt.

French retailer Carrefour has inked a deal with Village Market that will see the supermarket chain open an additional branch at the mall later this year.

The planned outlet will mostly focus on food items, a model that deviates from its normal branches where the retailer stocks all types of goods including electronics in volumes.

Dubai-based conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim opened its first Carrefour market in 2009 in Bahrain.

Nakumatt closure

Construction and fitting of the new branch, set to begin later in May, comes just a month after struggling retailer Nakumatt closed its Village Market branch due to rent arrears.

“Carrefour Market is an innovative approach that allows us to serve our customers by offering them a store that caters for their everyday shopping needs. This attests to our commitment to addressing customers’ needs effectively while growing and expanding our presence in Kenya,” said Franck Moreau, Majid Al Futtaim Country Manager in a statement Wednesday.

“We will be embarking on construction work in May where the Carrefour Market will be located, and this will be followed by the installation of equipment and the relevant fit out to suit Carrefour’s international standards.”

Expansion

Carrefour entered the Kenyan market in 2016 and has five stores to date. They are located at located at The Hub in Karen, Two Rivers Mall, Thika Road Mall, The Junction and Sarit Centre.

Majid Al Futtaim, the local franchise holder, currently has 230 Carrefour stores across 15 markets under his belt.

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