Nakumatt

A Nakumatt store in Nairobi suffered a massive fire on 28 January 2009, killing about 29 people.

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 planned to expand and open new stores, the retail chain announced plans to open five new stores outside Kenya during the first half of the year 2016.

Closure and going out of business

Nakumatt began experiencing serious cash-flow issues in 2016. It was unable to meet its financial obligations to landlords, suppliers, and staff. An administrator was appointed to help it re-gain financial footing. However, in December 2019 the retail chain sold the last six branches to Naivas Supermarkets in a deal that will see the Nakumatt brand completely disappear by the end of 2019. Creditors formally voted to liquidate the company on 7 January 2020