Geza Ulole
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Latest closure leaves Nakumatt with single branch in Tanzania
Sunday December 10 2017
Former East African Community secretary-general Richard Sezibera (left) with Nakumatt MD Atul Shah at the retailer’s branch in Arusha, Tanzania. FILE PHOTO | NMG
In Summary
Nakumatt was on Friday forced to close its store following rent arrears of an unknown amount.
By Daniel Mjema and Mugambi Mutegi
Nakumatt Supermarket’s presence in Tanzania has been reduced to a single outlet after the struggling retailer was evicted from a building in Moshi for failure to pay rent for over a year.
The retail chain was on Friday forced to close its store following rent arrears of an unknown amount.
It is the retailer’s third store to shutdown in Tanzania in as many months. Nakumatt’s remaining branch in Tanzania is located in Dar es Salaam.
Nakumatt, which is battling to keep its heavily-indebted business operational amid a push by creditors for its liquidation, in October closed its outlet in Dar es Salaam also due to rent arrears and failure to adequately stock the store. Last month, the family-owned business closed its Arusha branch.
Thadey Mariki, the estate manager of Erncon Holdings Ltd, Nakumatt’s landlord, confirmed the eviction but declined to state how much the financially-strapped retailer owes.
“We had to other option but to evict them. They haven’t paid rent for more than a year now,’’ he said, adding that the retailer was inconveniencing Erncon business plans
Nakumatt was expecting a six-week phased injection of Sh7.7 billion from an unnamed private equity fund beginning March, but failure to secure the funding has caused widespread product stockouts and seen it delay employees’ pay.
READ: How Nakumatt found itself in a perfect storm
The retailer’s financial woes have worsened as the year progressed with several outlet closures in Kenya and Uganda, leaving Rwanda as the only market seemingly immune from the financial meltdown.
Nakumatt had planned to merge with its rival Tuskys in order to salvage the ailing business, but the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) recently rejected this proposal.
The Nakumatt-Tuskys deal is also facing objections from a key Tuskys shareholder.
“We are being evicted. I am not at the scene but I have just been informed that the branch is being closed,” Alfrick Milimo Nakumatt Moshi’s branch manager, said during a telephone interview.
In the headlines
Latest closure leaves Nakumatt with single branch in Tanzania
MY TAKE
Don't joke with competitive Tanzanian market! How many Kenyan companies have so far closed the shop? The next is Brookside dairy! I hear KCB n Bidco r in their deathbeds! Poleni sana Majirani, ndo ukubwa endeleeni kuyaleta msivunjike moyo na tamaa pia (God should have mercy to whoever deceived Kenyans that their merchandise r liked within Tanzania)
!
Sunday December 10 2017
Former East African Community secretary-general Richard Sezibera (left) with Nakumatt MD Atul Shah at the retailer’s branch in Arusha, Tanzania. FILE PHOTO | NMG
In Summary
Nakumatt was on Friday forced to close its store following rent arrears of an unknown amount.
By Daniel Mjema and Mugambi Mutegi
Nakumatt Supermarket’s presence in Tanzania has been reduced to a single outlet after the struggling retailer was evicted from a building in Moshi for failure to pay rent for over a year.
The retail chain was on Friday forced to close its store following rent arrears of an unknown amount.
It is the retailer’s third store to shutdown in Tanzania in as many months. Nakumatt’s remaining branch in Tanzania is located in Dar es Salaam.
Nakumatt, which is battling to keep its heavily-indebted business operational amid a push by creditors for its liquidation, in October closed its outlet in Dar es Salaam also due to rent arrears and failure to adequately stock the store. Last month, the family-owned business closed its Arusha branch.
Thadey Mariki, the estate manager of Erncon Holdings Ltd, Nakumatt’s landlord, confirmed the eviction but declined to state how much the financially-strapped retailer owes.
“We had to other option but to evict them. They haven’t paid rent for more than a year now,’’ he said, adding that the retailer was inconveniencing Erncon business plans
Nakumatt was expecting a six-week phased injection of Sh7.7 billion from an unnamed private equity fund beginning March, but failure to secure the funding has caused widespread product stockouts and seen it delay employees’ pay.
READ: How Nakumatt found itself in a perfect storm
The retailer’s financial woes have worsened as the year progressed with several outlet closures in Kenya and Uganda, leaving Rwanda as the only market seemingly immune from the financial meltdown.
Nakumatt had planned to merge with its rival Tuskys in order to salvage the ailing business, but the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) recently rejected this proposal.
The Nakumatt-Tuskys deal is also facing objections from a key Tuskys shareholder.
“We are being evicted. I am not at the scene but I have just been informed that the branch is being closed,” Alfrick Milimo Nakumatt Moshi’s branch manager, said during a telephone interview.
In the headlines
Latest closure leaves Nakumatt with single branch in Tanzania
MY TAKE
Don't joke with competitive Tanzanian market! How many Kenyan companies have so far closed the shop? The next is Brookside dairy! I hear KCB n Bidco r in their deathbeds! Poleni sana Majirani, ndo ukubwa endeleeni kuyaleta msivunjike moyo na tamaa pia (God should have mercy to whoever deceived Kenyans that their merchandise r liked within Tanzania)
!
