Amethis Finance is set to acquire a 30% stake in Naivas, the #1 supermarket chain in Kenya. The deal value has not been disclosed and is likely to depend heavily on Naivas’ debt levels. In 2019 Amethis Finance sold its …

The problem is retail development rankings are useless. Worse than useless, actually. We explain why we don’t trust AT Kearney’s Global Retail Development Index when it comes to Africa. A few years ago we wanted to build a retail market …

Sam Chapatte, CEO of Jumia Kenya, has outlined plans for Jumia Advertising in Kenya, seeking to leverage the company’s reach among higher value, internet enabled Kenyan consumers. The company claims to have access to around 2-3m unique visitors each month. According …

Nigerian online supermarket Bolorims has acquired a 10% stake in Kenyan online retailer AfricaSokoni. The two companies will also to launch a new joint venture, Bolosokoni.com, in West Africa. Don’t hold your breath. AfricaSokoni was launched in January 2018 and claims to …

Massmart, Walmart’s South African subsidiary, has started the consultation process to close up to 34 stores in South Africa as part of the turnaround plan from new CEO, Walmart veteran Mitchell Slape. But Massmart needs a more radical change of focus. …

Nakumatt’s creditors have unanimously voted to put the supermarket retailer into liquidation. Overall, Nakumatt’s creditors are owed Sh38bn ($380m). What broader lessons can we learn about expansion, governance and financial sustainability? Peter Kahi, the court-appointed administrator said at the creditor’s …

Swedish direct sales company Oriflame has said it plans to quit Kenya after trading conditions worsen. The cosmetics retailer blames the complexity of the importation process and lack of volume sales growth. Oriflame will exit quickly: it has asked its …

So here are our big themes in 2019 and a look ahead to 2020. It’s been another eventful year in African consumer and retail markets in 2019. Some big retail players coming unstuck In grocery retail, some big players have come …

In a further sign that East African countries are intent or putting up trade barriers to protect local sectors, Kenya has proposed a 16% VAT on imported milk from Uganda. The move comes because Kenyan dairy farmers believe they are …

Danish Brewing Company East Africa Limited (DBC) is set to build a new Sh4.6bn ($45m) Carlsberg brewery at the new Naivasha Industrial Park being built on the road between Nairobi and Nakuru. DBC acquired Carlsberg and Beam Suntory distributor King Beverage …

Safaricom has partnered with Diageo’s Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) to connect its beer refrigerators to the internet. The fridges contain sensors that leverage the internet of things (IoT) and can transmit data on usage patterns and temperature levels. KBL is a …

Quickmart will launch five to six new stores by the end of 2020 as part of its expansion plan, following its  acquisition by Sokoni Retail Kenya, owner of the Tumaini supermarket chain. It has also opened a new outlet in Ongata …

Supermarket chain Naivas has revealed that 39% of its customer transactions are now cashless. The leading Kenyan grocery retailer, currently having a growth spurt, now operates 1,320 Visa credit card (PDQ) machines across its 58 outlets and has been named …

Copia, a Kenyan ecommerce and logistics startup operating in central Kenya, has raised $26m in a series B funding round, led by LGT Lightstone, with participation from Perivoli Innovations, Endeavor Catalyst, ELEA and Goodwell Investments. The new investment could lead to …

Nakumatt has closed its Kisumu store, bringing the number of stores it has remaining to just 5. Kenyan media has also reported a store manager saying that the company has plans to close all its stores by January 2020. Botswanan …