Ukwala Supermarkets

Ukwala Supermarkets, often referred to simply as Ukwala, is supermarket chain in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. The supermarket chain is a subsidiary of Choppies, a retail conglomerate based in Gaborone, Botswana.[2]

Ukwala Supermarkets
Private
IndustryRetail trade
HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
ProductsSupermarkets
Number of employees
566 (2016)[1]
SubsidiariesIn Kenya

Location

The head office of Ukwala is on Haile Selassie Avenue, in Nairobi, the largest city in Kenya and the capital of that country.[3]

Overview

Ukwala owns and operates supermarkets in Kenya. It is the fifth largest of the major supermarket chains in Kenya, behind Tuskys, Uchumi and Naivas.[4]

Branches

As of January 2018, Ukwala maintained a total of eleven branches in Kenya. Another three new stores are in the pipeline, within 2018. Ukwala does not have any branches outside of Kenya.[5]

Ownership

Ukwala is 75 percent owned by Choppies, a Botswana-based supermarket chain, whose stock is listed on both the Botswana Stock Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with 157 stores in Africa.[6] The remaining 25 percent shareholding is held by Export Trading Group, a Tanzanian company.[1]

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.[7] When the supermarket chains did not move fast enough, CAK closed the two stores.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10][11] The transaction received Kenyan regulatory approval in November 2015.[12] In October 2016, Choppies announced its intention to invest KSh754.7 million (approx. US$7.57 million) into Ukwala, over the next three years, to open up more stores.[1]

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See also

References
  1. Juma, Victor (30 October 2016). "Bostwana's Choppies to inject Sh755 million into loss-making Ukwala". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  2. Guguyu, Otiato (30 May 2016). "Choppies seals year-long quest for Ukwala takeover". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  3. Google (14 June 2016). "Location of Ukwala Supermarket Headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  4. Guguyu, Otiato (30 May 2016). "Kenya: Botswana Retailer Buys Ukwala Stores". Daily Nation via AllAfrica.com. Nairobi. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  5. Mugambi Mutegi, and Mwangi Ndirangu (2 January 2018). "Choppies eyes Nakumatt space at Nanyuki Mall". Daily Nation. Nairobi. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  6. Herbling, David (14 June 2016). "Botswana retailer Choppies enters wages talks with Ukwala workers". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  7. Mutegi, Mugambi (3 June 2014). "Why Regulator Stopped Tuskys Bid To Acquire Rival Ukwala". Business Daily Africa (Nairobi). Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  8. Mutegi, Mugambi (4 August 2014). "Tuskys Shops Shut As Regulator Stops Takeover of Ukwala Stores". Business Daily Africa (Nairobi). Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  9. Machuhi, Eunice (24 September 2014). "Tuskys Wins Bid To Re-Open Two Ukwala Branches". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  10. Kariuki, James (1 June 2015). "Botswana's Retail Giant Choppies To Take Over Ukwala Supermarkets". Daily Nation (Nairobi). Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  11. Gachiri, John (2 June 2015). "Botswana Retailer Bids To Take Over 10 Ukwala Stores". Business Daily Africa (Nairobi). Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  12. Herbling, David (1 November 2015). "Choppies gets nod to buy 10 Ukwala stores for Sh1bn". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

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