Newly opened Clarks store at Nakumatt Thika Road Mall on September 2, 2013. Photo/DIANA NGILA
By Doreen Wainainah
In Summary
- The store is part of the Sh1.2billion investment plan by Nakumatt to diversify from basic household goods to include luxury consumer goods such as footwear, cosmetics and toys.
Nakumatt Holdings has opened the first Clarks standalone store in sub-Sahara Africa at Thika Road Mall in Nairobi.
The store is part of the Sh1.2billion investment plan by the supermarket chain to diversify from basic household goods to include luxury consumer goods such as footwear, cosmetics and toys.
The chain is expected to open two more outlets in the next two weeks, one at Westgate Mall in Westlands and the other at Junction Mall on Ngong Road.
According to Mr Atul Shah, Managing Director of Nakumatt Holdings, this is the first step as they plan on a regional expansion of the brands. Three Skechers, Footwear Stores are expected to open their doors in the next month.
“To confirm the importance attached to this project, the opening of both the Clarks and Skechers stores is backed by a more than Sh480 million investment budget,” Nakumatt’s Regional Strategy and Operations Director Mr Thiagarajan Ramamurthy said.
Established in 1825 by two brothers –James and Cyrus Clark, the Clarks footwear brand has evolved into a leading global footwear retailer with sales in excess of £1.4billion.
Nakumatt further plans to open Disney stores to stock the popular American entertainment label’s products such as toys, clothing, computer games and other merchandising based on its characters like Mickey Mouse.
The retailer is seeking to cut reliance on household goods and focus on lifestyle products to tap Kenyans’ increasing taste for trendy fashion and global brands, which offer higher margins.
The move by Nakumatt to open several branded shops focused on luxury goods puts the firm in direct competition with lifestyle retailers such as Deacons and Woolworths.
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