Ukwala Supermarkets

Ukwala Supermarkets
Private
Industry Retail trade
Headquarters Nairobi, Kenya
Products Supermarkets
Number of employees
 777 (2015)[1]
Subsidiaries In Kenya

Ukwala Supermarkets, often referred to simply as Ukwala, is supermarket chain in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community.

Location

The head office of Ukwala is in Nairobi, the largest city in Kenya and the capital of that country.

Overview

Ukwala owns and operates supermarkets in Kenya. Ukwala is the fourth largest of the major supermarket chains in Kenya, behind Nakumatt, Uchumi, and Tuskys. It is ahead of Naivas.

Branches

As of January 2015, Ukwala maintains eleven branches in Nairobi and other urban areas of the country. Ukwala does not have any branches outside of Kenya.[1]

Ownership

Ukwala is a wholly Kenyan, privately held company.

Recent developments

Beginning in April 2013, Tuskys Supermarkets, a rival chain, entered into a private deal with Ukwala, whereby Tuskys would buy six Ukwala stores in the Nairobi area. To arrive at a fair price, Tuskys took over the management of two of the stores, to assess traffic and commercial flow at those locations. The two chains did not consult the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK), as required by law. When CAK learned of the transaction, the regulator stopped the deal and fined the two chains a total of KES:5.3 million (about US$62,000). CAK ordered the management arrangements to be reversed.[2] When the supermarket chains did not move fast enough, CAK closed the two stores.[3] Tuskys, however, obtained a temporary court injunction reversing the CAK directive, until a full court hearing on the matter can be arranged in the future.[4]

On 29 May 2015, the Botswana-based supermarket chain Choppies reached an agreement to purchase Ukwala's ten stores for approximately US $10 million (KSh990 million). Five of the stores are located in Kisumu, three in Nairobi, and two in Nakuru. The owners of Ukwala are reported to be exiting the retail consumer business.[5][6] The transaction received Kenyan regulatory approval in November 2015.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Herbling, David (15 January 2015). "Ukwala Faces Higher Staff Costs As Workers Join Union". Business Daily Africa (Nairobi). Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Mutegi, Mugambi (3 June 2014). "Why Regulator Stopped Tuskys Bid To Acquire Rival Ukwala". Business Daily Africa (Nairobi). Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Mutegi, Mugambi (4 August 2014). "Tuskys Shops Shut As Regulator Stops Takeover of Ukwala Stores". Business Daily Africa (Nairobi). Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Machuhi, Eunice (24 September 2014). "Tuskys Wins Bid To Re-Open Two Ukwala Branches". Business Daily Africa (Nairobi). Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Kariuki, James (1 June 2015). "Botswana's Retail Giant Choppies To Take Over Ukwala Supermarkets". Daily Nation (Nairobi). Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Gachiri, John (2 June 2015). "Botswana Retailer Bids To Take Over 10 Ukwala Stores". Business Daily Africa (Nairobi). Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Herbling, David (1 November 2015). "Choppies gets nod to buy 10 Ukwala stores for Sh1bn". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

External links

Coordinates: 01°17′17″S 36°49′45″E / 1.28806°S 36.82917°E / -1.28806; 36.82917

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