Sacked employees open their own ‘Nakumatt’

Seven former Nakumatt employees have teamed up to establish a supermarket in Kondele, Kisumu.  Lemigo Holdings Superstore is set to open its doors later this month in the lakeside city, three months after Nakumatt Mega Plaza closed, rendering hundreds of employees jobless.

Benson Olang’, one of the directors of Lemigo Superstores, says he and his partners have worked at the defunct Nakumatt Mega Plaza for nearly 20 years. “We feel we have gained enough experience because it is a business we understand, we felt it was time to resign and set up our own store,” says Olang’.

He says they aim to expand and have many outlets spread across the country, adding that the new supermarket has recruited the bulk of its employees from the closed Nakumatt branch in Kisumu.

“We want to encourage small businesses to bring their products so that we can provide a market for their products,” adds Olang’.

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The new supermarket is located in a densely populated area of Kondele along Kisumu-Kibos road. Olang’ says the partners had been mulling starting a supermarket for seven years but the financial difficulties of Nakumatt finally pushed them to step out.

Nakumatt has closed nearly 20 branches as creditors and suppliers moved in to recover their monies while some branches have been sacrificed to give more strategic branches a chance to come back. The once vibrant retailer has been fighting court battles fronted by its creditors to liquidate the business.

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