Counties

Nakumatt troubles mount as its Kisii branch shuts down

nakumatt

In May, Nakumatt announced plans to close its poorly performing branches in Kenya and Uganda. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The Kisii Nakumatt branch has closed its doors, further deepening woes in one of the largest supermarkets in the country.

The supermarket’s goods were on Tuesday and Wednesday morning being loaded into vans to be carted away.

The gates to the retail shop were closed and only selected people and vehicles gained access. The closure ends months of speculation over the fate of the supermarket that served buyers from Kisii, Nyamira and Trans Mara counties.

Customers had in the last 10 months been complaining of poor services after failing to get most basic goods in the supermarket.

Over the past year, its financial problems have led to empty shelves and store closures, a situation attributed to mounting supplier and bank debts.

Nakumatt is seeking a court protection as it seeks to reverse its fortunes after creditors demanded millions of dollars. It owes creditors including landlords and suppliers as much as Sh40 billion

“It is unfortunate that my favourite supermarket is closing. I have shopped here for the last one year since I moved to Kisii,” said Mary Kerubo, a banker.

READ: State wants to join Nakumatt creditors list for tax millions

ALSO READ: Creditors reject bid to appoint Nakumatt administrator

Most shoppers preferred it due to its adequate parking space. “It was in the heart of Kisii town and I always shopped there because I had no worries on where to park my car,” said Moses Akama.

Kisii town is congested and lack of parking space has always been a challenge to visitors.

The branch’s closure comes after the closure of other outlets including The Junction mall, Thika Road Mall (TRM) branch and NextGen Mall on Mombasa Road, Nairobi after just nine months of operations.

In May, Nakumatt announced plans to close its poorly performing branches in Kenya and Uganda as part of cost-cutting measures.