Five Uchumi branches reopen.

22 Jul, 2006

Five Uchumi outlets in Nairobi have reopened for business six weeks after the national supermarket chain declared itself bankrupt. Following the unexpected closure of 17 branches across the country on 1 June, customers can now once again shop at the stores at the Sarit Centre, Ngong Road Hyper, Mombasa Road, Langata Road Hyper and City Square. The reopening has been made possible by a Ksh975 million bail-out by government and shareholders.

Established in 1975, Uchumi had been in difficulty since embarking on an ambitious expansion programme in 2001. The supermarket chain now has a new management and is operating under the legal protection of the receivers appointed by Kenya Commercial Bank and Preferential Trade Area (PTA) Bank, the two main creditors.