Carrefour retail supermarket. [Photo/kahawatungu.com]
French retail giant Carrefour, has confirmed it is planning to take over commercial space left by the troubled Nakumatt Holdings at the upmarket Junction Mall in Nairobi.
The retail giant’s local franchise is held by Majid Al Futtaim, a Dubai-based conglomerate which has opened three outlets in the country. The retailer came into the Kenyan space last year by opening its first outlet at The Hub, a shopping mall located in Nairobi’s upmarket Karen suburb.
Carrefour Kenya country manager, Franck Moreau, in an interview on Friday confirmed that the retailer was seeking opportunities to grow and expand its footprint in Kenya and the region.
This came as a breath of fresh air to the Ndegwa family who are majority-owners of the mall, after the High Court set aside orders that allowedNakumatt Supermarkets, the troubled retailer to escape an initial eviction bid two weeks ago.
Nakumatt Holdings, which has been an anchor tenant at the Junction Mall owed the management between Sh50 million and Sh75 million in rent arrears.
The news comes after the French retail giant said it will also take over Nairobi’s Thika Road Mall space vacated by Nakumatt in November.