Kenya's Malls and Famous Retail Chains: Photogallery

[Kenguy]

Inside the T-mall.

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


Inside the Tusky's supermarket.

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image hosted on flickr

[desert burner]

which fast food outlets are there?

[Kenguy]

Originally Posted by desert burner

which fast food outlets are there?

I guess there is one or two on the third floor but I didnt go up there. Different shops are still opening within the building and it will take time for retaurants to do the same.

[Kenguy]

United mall, Kisumu (Taken around Christmas).

image hosted on flickr

By Victor O-flickr.

[Kenguy]

Lifestyle mall, Nairobi CBD.

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

[fozzy]

I think the kenyan shopping malls look good & certainly better than i expected. I hope to visit Kenya one day and will be checking the local malls out.

[Mwafrika]

Westgate Mall Nairobi



Entrance






Rift Valley Academy Students Choir Performing in the mall












Nakumatt Westgate



Barclays Premier



Safaricom



Zain



Dormans Coffee



United Colours of Benetton



Nike



Adidas



Numetro Cinema Store



Onami - Grill & Sushi bar

http://www.onami.co.ke/


Casinos

[Kenguy]

Mwafrika. That is the best Westgate post so far. Though my favorite store wasn't in the pics...The converse all star shop. I'm a sucker for old school shoes.

[Mwafrika]

Originally Posted by Kenguy

Mwafrika. That is the best Westgate post so far. Though my favorite store wasn't in the pics...The converse all star shop. I'm a sucker for old school shoes.

Thanks... I stumbled upon the Westgate mall website, though I didn't see the Converse store ... http://www.westgate.co.ke



Bata



Addiction Restaurant

[Kisumu Ndogo]

Kenya: Shopping Mall Boom Hits
Business Daily (Nairobi): Beatrice Gachenge And Wangui Maina



On the first Sunday of March 2009, Nairobi's Lang'ata Road will wake up to the sight of a new shopping mall. If all goes according to plan. It will be the eleventh shopping mall to grace Nairobi's skyline and potential tenants are already lining up for space.

The mall, which is expected to house about 30 tenants, is evidence of a growing appetite for shopping space in the city. This appetite has seen developers increase their investment in commercial buildings with two other malls expected on Thika and Kiambu roads in the next two years.

These new shopping centres are an indication of increased purchasing power among Kenya's emerging middle-class with disposable income to spend on luxury goods. Knight Frank, a property company that is managing most of Nairobi's malls and overseeing the development of new ones, says it is currently swamped with demand for space both from local and international brands.

Several international brands have expressed interest in the Lang'ata Road mall, including a German car maker who is looking at the property as an avenue to re-enter the Kenyan market. Cotts, a renowned British furniture brand, has also expressed interest in letting space at the Lang'ata Road mall to establish a foothold in the country. The appetite for space in shopping malls has been whetted by the success of Westgate, the first to attract major international brands.

Located in Westlands, it opened its doors a year ago. This facility, which has been billed as ultra-modern by its developers, boasts of iron wrought railings and a refreshing waterfall at the entrance, has attracted international brand shops ranging from world renowned sports houses Nike and Adidas, to clothes shop United Colors of Benetton.

Converse has also set up camp on the ground floor with international watch maker Rado set to open a store. The mall has also provided space for local brands such as Kazuri, Little Soles, Sir Henry, and Dormans among others to expand, while Artcafe and Johari have made their debut.

Maina Mwangi, the head of property management Knight Frank, says this is Kenya's first mall to host so many international brands under one roof. Knight Frank also manages The Junction on Nairobi's Ngong Road and Crossroads in Karen. Mr Mwangi says that location is part of the success of the malls business in Nairobi. "The best location is outbound allowing access as people head out of the city," he said.
Left side

This is why most of the malls are on the left side of the major highways out of the city. According to him a mall on Thika Road has taken a longer time due to scarcity of land on the left side of the road. This side of the highway spots the National Youth Service, General Service Unit and Nakumatt on the left.

"The only available space is near Roysambu, which on the other hand, fails to make much business sense to proprietors who would want to capitalise on prime property," he said. For this reason Thika Road's mall will have to be on the right hand side of the road. These new developments have moved the country far from what it was 10 years ago when it had only two major shopping malls, Sarit Centre in Westlands, and Yaya Centre in Kilimani - some of Nairobi's high-end districts.

Commercial property development in Westlands has reached a near deadlock due to scarcity of land as it takes a minimum of five acres of land to construct a modern facility. Population is another major factor that influences the decision to put up a mall in any part of the city. Human traffic determines how popular and viable a mall model is and the potential of its success.

Malls count their success in the conversion rate yielded from the human traffic into the facility. Dormans operations director, Loise Wood, notes that a key consideration when choosing the malls to set up shops in is always bases on the customer base expected to visit the mall. "Location is very important," she says.

Dormans operates outlets in Junction, Yaya Centre, Westgate, Sarit, Village Market and Crossroads. The Junction has managed to be one of the best performing malls with a traffic average of 4,000 on weekdays and twice the number on weekends due to its location. Junction serves the suburban areas of Kilimani, Ngong Road, Lavington, Kileleshwa and even the far off Karen.

Its construction a stone throw away from Prestige also on Ngong Road a few years ago was seen as poor judgement with one expected to fail. However this was not the case, both continued to record good traffic flows and when Crossroads was open almost a year later in Karen traffic did not falter in the other malls.

Junction has however had an impact on traffic flow to Sarit Centre with customers from that side of town choosing not to venture all the way to Westlands. Westgate with its modern trimmings is also giving the older mall a run for its money and is expected to surpass Junction's traffic in the near future.

Sarit records an average of between 20,000 and 22,000 weekly with weekends, Friday and sometimes Wednesday attracting the highest traffic. To remain relevant the mall has continuously invested on refurbishments of the property giving it a new shine.

Yaya Centre, in Kilimani, also boasts similar traffic as Sarit on a good week. Three years ago it embarked on a major face-lift incorporating more glass displays to give it a modern look. Consumer market analysts' note that loyal mall visitors are not only brand conscious, but are attracted by the general ambience.

Anchor shops
However, anchor shops have been identified as the major traffic puller for any given shopping mall globally. In developed markets apparel stores have served as anchor shops. In Kenya the scenario is different. Supermarkets have proved to be the key to attracting traffic, working as the best anchor shop for the malls.

Sarit Centre and Capital Centre on Mombasa Road have Uchumi supermarket in their premises while Junction, Presitge, Westgate and Crossroads have Nakumatt. Yaya is home to Chandarana Supermarket, the main traffic puller for the mall. With every anchor shop is a sub-anchor store or stores. Mr Price Homes works for Westgate while Woolworths and Nairobi Sports House work for Yaya.

While Sarit Centre has attracted traffic with the two major Safaricom service centres in its premises. Village Market, the biggest outlet, on the other hand hosts a mix of anchors including Nakumatt and its water slides. Upon opening its doors Junction had Stataffords, a South African apparel shop, as a sub-anchor however it nearly pulled down the mall. The developers were forced to move fast and opted to reconfigure the space.

Smaller shops were set up which were quickly grabbed by brands like Samsonite, Nike, Best Sports and Mr Price, the remaining space was cut out for a food court. Most tenants want to be next to the anchor or sub-anchor due to traffic and have to pay a premium for this compared to anchors which pay less due to pull of traffic. Tenants wishing to rent out space will pay Sh180 per square foot today compared to Sh140 when it was new. Westgate demands between Sh200 and Sh250 while Yaya demands about the same amount.

Due to the sensitivity of the retailing, developers rarely let to first timers who have very small brands. Mr Mwangi said it was mandatory to look into the business model of the shops of which they may vet their accounts before letting out a premise. "Several business have been turned away form the malls, if their marketing plan is not well elaborate, and general awareness of the brands" he adds.

Rarely will a mall extend beyond four stories as most shoppers find it inconveniencing to go up and for this reason most entertainment and food spots are on the top level to attract customers. According to the director of Yaya, Elizabeth Klem, shops on high level are cheaper since don't attract as much traffic. This also applies across the board.

"Tenant mix is a major part of malls selling themselves to clients who expect to find a variety to meet their needs," said Ms Klem. Sarit management also notes that they have had to control their client mix in order to have a good representation. The mall seeks out potential clients if there is a niche to be filled and sometimes they are approached by the clients.

Tenant mix helps to draw traffic from the widest audience possible and malls in the country have been investing in the right mix to ensure increased traffic. Entertainment and food courts have become major features as today's consumer demands for both.

Nu Metro, of South Africa, is one of the brands that has grown at the pace of the malls as they open cinema halls in every new mall erected in the city.
Today consumers can enjoy children's play areas, live shows and product marketing on the corridors of malls, a variety of food in the food court or themed restaurants, stunning merchandise displays and movies all under one roof.

This is a far cry from the origin of shopping centres which were mainly in the form of open market squares, bazaars and seaport commercial districts centuries away. The current concept of malls, which features thousands of square foots under one roof, mainly began in the 1920s and have since become a major feature of cities.

Kenyan malls are mainly marketed as one unit and as the city welcomes new malls in its skyline property mangers will have to find creative ways of encouraging customers to step into their properties. In mature markets malls have gone to the extent of opening interactive websites that clearly inform customers on the units.

"Tenant mix is a major part of malls selling themselves to clients who expect to find a variety to meet their needs," said Ms Klem. Sarit management also notes that they have had to control their client mix in order to have a good representation. The mall seeks out potential clients if there is a niche to be filled and sometimes they are approached by the clients.

Tenant mix helps to draw traffic from the widest audience possible and malls in the country have been investing in the right mix to ensure increased traffic. Entertainment and food courts have become major features as today's consumer demands for both.

Nu Metro, of South Africa, is one of the brands that has grown at the pace of the malls as they open cinema halls in every new mall erected in the city.Today consumers can enjoy children's play areas, live shows and product marketing on the corridors of malls, a variety of food in the food court or themed restaurants, stunning merchandise displays and movies all under one roof.

This is a far cry from the origin of shopping centres which were mainly in the form of open market squares, bazaars and seaport commercial districts centuries away. The current concept of malls, which features thousands of square foots under one roof, mainly began in the 1920s and have since become a major feature of cities.

Kenyan malls are mainly marketed as one unit and as the city welcomes new malls in its skyline property mangers will have to find creative ways of encouraging customers to step into their properties. In mature markets malls have gone to the extent of opening interactive websites that clearly inform customers on the units.

[Papaf Mwenyewe]

Show me better (I know the jury is still out there)

Meanwhile a new mall is coming up in Nakuru below
Nakuru High School (near Statehouse and Opposite Section 58)

[desert burner]

Originally Posted by Papaf Mwenyewe

Show me better (I know the jury is still out there)

Meanwhile a new mall is coming up in Nakuru below
Nakuru High School (near Statehouse and Opposite Section 58)

my favourite will be the village market, though i not yet seen the westgate

[abesha]

That Westgate mall looks really nice! Is the developer Kenyan?

[Kenguy]

Originally Posted by abesha

That Westgate mall looks really nice! Is the developer Kenyan?

I should think so, I don't know any foreign developer in the mall business. Plus most stores inside are Kenyan.

[Kenguy]

@ Sarit.

image hosted on flickr

[mwanamwiwa]

Capital Centre Mall - South B/C suburb (Southern Nairobi).

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


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image hosted on flickr


Courtesy of Kenguy.

[desert burner]

thanks kenguy, i have shopped that mall many times, near home looking forward again

[Kenguy]

Update of new completed malls: (Anchor store is Nakumatt, as usual.)

1. Centre Point Mall- Diani, Mombasa (Coast Province).
2. Holden Mall- Kakamega (Western Province).
3. Eldo Centre- Eldoret. (Rift Valley Province).

[BUTEMBO21]

Thats clean , Thanks Kenguy.

Is there an Apple store in Nairobi?

[nairoberry]

Originally Posted by BUTEMBO21

Thats clean , Thanks Kenguy.

Is there an Apple store in Nairobi?

yes sir! i saw a picture of the store somewhere on this forum.