Companies

Chandarana to replace Choppies at Signature Mall

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A Chandarana Supermarket outlet in Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Chandarana Foodplus Supermarket will next month open a branch at Nairobi’s Signature Mall on Mombasa Road, taking over space previously occupied by troubled Choppies.

The Kenyan retailer will begin operations at the property on February 24, bringing its branch network to 18.

Started in 1964, the supermarket chain has made a slow expansion in Kenya with branches in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nanyuki, Eldoret, Kisumu and Diani.

It has employed a conservative growth strategy which the firm’s operations director Hanif Rajan describes as “slow and steady.”

The retailer has survived the crisis that hit Nakumatt and Uchumi #ticker:UCHM after rapidly expanding across East Africa.

Chandarana has been keen on a niche serving up specialty cheeses, fish aisles complete with salmon at meat cuts to cater to the needs of Nairobi's high-end market.

The space at the mall became available after Choppies — which opened shop there in the second half of 2018— ran into financial troubles.

The Botswana-based retailer will write off Sh1.6 billion from its struggling Kenyan unit as the supermarket chain seeks to sell nearly half of its local outlets.

The supermarket space is in flux, with new and established players moving to replace their distressed rivals including Nakumatt that was once the country’s largest retailer.

Sokoni, which merged the operations of Quickmart and Tumaini, is targeting six new stores by next year.