Kampala,Uganda
Regional retailer, Nakumatt Holdings has attained ISO certification for its operations in Uganda, a move meant to further boost its operations in the East Africa region.
Having secured the quality management certification for its operations in Kenya and Rwanda, Nakumatt has been working hard to get the ISO certificate for its Uganda branch to ensure global benchmarking for its systems and processes.
Speaking in Kampala during an event to formally receive the firm’s ISO 9001:2008 certification from Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) Nakumatt Holdings Managing Director Atul Shah said that the Certification was just the window to help the supermarket open new branches in the country.
“Based on a conscious commitment to ensure that Nakumatt operates within global quality management systems since 2007, we have been actively pursuing ISO certification in the respective markets. Such certifications are critical components of this business as they ensure that we can deliver customer needs using defined systems and processes as per ISO requirements, said Shah.
“We are planning to open our fourth branch in the country at Mbarara before the end of this year,” added Mr Shah.
The certification of Nakumatt in Uganda completed the first phase of its certification initiative. On its second phase, the supermaket will be seeking similar certification in Tanzania where it already operates a single branch in Moshi.
According to the International Standards Organisation (ISO), an ISO 9001:2008 certification affirms that an organization upholds specific quality management systems. For an organization to attain the ISO 9001:2008 system, it must demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products/services that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Internal and external ISO Auditors must also be satisfied that the organization aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Beyond the ISO certification, Nakumatt has also announcement that it has embarked on a strategic project to incorporate customer experience centres and exclusive brand stores within its Uganda branch network.
In the trendsetting development, Nakumatt is partnering with its local and global suppliers to develop brand stores and custom experience centres that allow shoppers to enjoy product applications in various settings.
The centres to be developed under Nakumatt’s Shop N’ Shop concept will also provide technical advisory services to shoppers, effectively providing a one-stop shop for various lifestyle products.
The writer is a Communication and Journalism Student, Moi University
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