Why did Tuskys agree to bail out their competitor Nakumatt? Given that the Shahs have refused to cede control of Nakumatt to strategic investors, I wonder what Tuskys will get from this deal with Nakumatt.
I highly suspect Tuskys owners are being taken for a ride here. Tuskys money will be used to replenish Nakumatt stores while Tuskys outlets are left to languish.
Weren’t the Tuskys brothers fighting the other day for control of the supermarket chain?
I smell violent boardroom wars and a bitter fallout sooner rather than later.
Nakumatt and Tuskys have a long history together you have to know them to understand, the old mzee was started by the owners of Nakumatt(nakuru mattress), then during the sibling fued Nakumatt helped settle it. Now the Nakumatt needs a friend.
they have bailed each other out for decades in instances that made no business sense. somehow, it ends up working out for both. had nakumatt owner not boosted tuskys owners in the 60s, tuskys would not exist. had tuskys not boosted nakumatt in the 80s, nakummat would not exist.
The founder of Tuskys used to work for Nakumat (80’s when it was Nakuru Matreses) as a driver and as a retirement reward for long loyal good service, the Nakuru mattresses guys helped him to start a shop in a remote village ‘Rongai Self Service’.
The old man and his boys worked so hard and out of that set up Tusker Matreses in down town Nairobi which is today’s Tuskys.
Look who is running to who for help many years down the road.
To extend the generosity once extended to him, the old man of today’s tuskys helped his brother, and his sons set up their own shop by handing over to them the same Rongai mattresses when they (Tuskys) grew big. Today that brother’s empire is called Naivas.
Today that same self service shop gets handed down to members of the family who are serious about venturing in to retail.
I like shopping at nakumatt because i find it very clean and organized.I like buying electronics especially tv,radio etc.They are expensive but i am sure they are original.
The whole hekaya of how both started and how they have been assisting and bailing each other since the 60’s is very well told in today’s Sunday Nation.
It all began with Jomo Kenyatta’s Africanization policy soon after independence. Many Asians had to co-opt indigenous Kenyans into their businesses and companies or risk losing everything. I have a close relative(though deceased) who became filthy rich due to similar arrangements.
Hehee on many occasions I went there in ruiru town this fella @Mathaais would pop in my mind. I would shop at mathaais alafu me and dear injinia would cross the road to Powerstar supermarket for their best mandazis.