figganigga
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- Oct 17, 2010
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Wafanyakazi zaidi ya 400 wa Uchumi Super Market jijini Dar es Salaam, waligoma kufanya kazi wakitaka kujua hatima ya mishahara na ajira zao baada ya kusikia tetesi kuwa itafungwa.
Kutokana na hali hiyo, wafanyakazi wanaodaiwa kufikia 50 walijifungia ndani kwa zaidi ya saa 20 kwenye makao makuu ya duka hilo yaliyopo katika jengo la Quality Center jijini Dar es Salaam.
Mbali na hilo, wasambazaji wa bidhaa katika maduka hayo nao wameungana na wafanyakazi hao wakishinikiza walipwe madeni wanayodai kutokana na hali ya sintofahamu iliyopo.
Hatimaye leo, Kampuni ya Maduka ya Uchumi Supermarket imetangaza kufunga biashara zake Tanzania na Uganda, inatathmini muundo wake, taarifa yao yasema.
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Kenya's Uchumi supermarkets shuts Tanzania, Uganda businesses
Oct 14 (Reuters) - Kenya's Uchumi supermarkets is to close its loss-making Tanzanian and Ugandan businesses as part of a turnaround plan to try to return to profit growth.
CEO Julius Kipng'etich said last month Uchumi would reorganise the management of underperforming branches or could close or relocate the worst performers.
"Our outlets in Uganda and Tanzania make up only 4.75 percent of our operations yet they account for over 25 percent of our operating costs," Kipng'etich said on Wednesday.
"The two subsidiaries have not made any profit over the last five years, which means they have been draining the parent operations."
Uchumi is facing competition in Kenya from domestic supermarkets such as Nakumatt as well as international retailers such as France's Carrefour, which has plans to open stores.
Kipng'etich, a former chief operating officer of Equity Bank , took up his post at Uchumi in August to help revive chain after it had fired its previous head.
He said all its stores in Tanzania and Uganda would be wound down and said Uchumi would consider re-entering the two markets in future once the Kenyan operation stabilised.
Kipng'etich said Uchumi would retain cross-listings in Uganda and Tanzania and that it had informed the Kenya Capital Markets Authority and the Nairobi Securities Exchange of its action. It will seek shareholder approval at a later date.
"We are confident that we can now concentrate on turning around Uchumi by focusing on the 95 percent of the business that makes money for shareholders and are optimistic that we will achieve this within the shortest time possible," he said.
Before the closures in Tanzania and Uganda, plus two outlets in Kenya, Uchumi had a total of 37 branches.
It made a pretax loss of 262 million shillings ($2.54 million) for the half year to Dec. 31.
It said in August its full-year earnings were expected to fall by at least 25 percent from the previous year. ($1 = 103.2000 Kenyan shillings) (Reporting by George Obulutsa. Editing by Jane Merriman)
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Uchumi Supermarkets shuts down regional operations
Uchumi Supermarkets has exited the Uganda and Tanzania markets in a drastic reorganisation to stop financial bleeding.
The retailer's chief executive, Mr Julius Kipng'etich, said the company's board had decided to close down regional units in order to speed up the process of stabilising its Kenyan operations.
"Our outlets in Uganda and Tanzania make up only 4.75 per cent of our operations yet they account for over 25 per cent of our operating costs. The two subsidiaries have not made any profits over the last five years, which means they have been draining the parent operations," said Mr Kipng'etich.
STAKEHOLDERS INFORMED
The Uchumi CEO said the retail chain has informed the Capital Markets Authority, the Nairobi Securities Exchange and other key stakeholders of the decision, adding that soon the retailer would seek shareholders' approval to implement the decision.
"All stores in both markets are now closed and will be liquidated," Mr Kipng'etich said.
The new CEO took over the helm of the retailer recently following the sacking of former CEO Jonathan Ciano.
EXPANSION STRATEGY
Uchumi plans to re-enter the markets at an appropriate time in the future once the parent business has stabilised. In the meantime, it will not delist from the regional bourses.
"It is important that we get Kenya back to optimal operations and profitability by taking good care of our suppliers and creating value for our shareholders before reconsidering regional expansion," added Mr Kipng'etich.
"We are confident that we can now concentrate on turning around Uchumi by focusing on the 95 per cent of the business that makes money for shareholders and are optimistic that we will achieve this within the shortest time possible," the CEO added
