Naivas Supermarket was founded and is currently partly owned by the Mukuha family. Its founding dates back to 1990 when Tuskys supermarkets opened their first Nairobi outlet.
The founder, the late Joram Kamau, decided to leave one of their business premises in Rongai Nakuru to 2 of his nephews, David Kimani and the late Simon Mukuha.
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The store going by the name of Gitwe General Stores, was located in the rural town of Rongai in Nakuru County.
The two brothers were subsequently joined by their father, the late Peter Mukuha and started operations in their new business.
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The 3 founding family members put in the hours and after four years in operations as they sought to expand the business.
In 1994, Rongai Self Service Stores became a two-location retailer with the opening of a second store at Elburgon, 10km north of Rongai.
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It is with the expansion into the second outlet that another of the siblings joined the business, a sister, Linet Wairimu Mukuha.
The store name was changed to Rongai Self-Service Stores somewhere between 1992 and 1993.
In 1998, following the entry and success of the Naivasha outlet, the retailer once again changed its name to Naivasha Self-Service Stores.
Rebranding to Current Brand Identity
After having made an entry into Nairobi, the retailer once again decided to focus its expansion energies outside of Nairobi for the period between 2005 and 2009.
By the end of that period, the outlet count stood at 10 outlets with 8 outside of Nairobi and 2 in the capital.
In 2006, the retailer rebranded to Naivas and got a brand identity and a corporate colour which was purple.
However, in 2009, the retailer once again underwent a rebrand to its current brand look and feel; brand colours being orange and green.
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Naivas Supermarket Current Shareholders
Naivas has been a fully family-owned business since its inception until February 2020, when a consortium of investors led by the French private equity firm Amethis bought a 30% stake.
They still left the Mukuhas with a controlling stake of 70%.
Amethis is an investment fund manager dedicated to the African continent created through a partnership with the Edmond de Rothschild Group.
In June 2022, Amethis sold its stake to a consortium led by IBL, a Mauritian family-owned business that has been in existence since 1860.
IBL employs more than 25,000 people and is active in various sectors of activity, namely agro & energy, commercial & distribution, logistics, building & engineering, financial services, hospitality, seafood, life & technologies, and property.
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Leadership
Peter Mukuha was the first chairman of Naivas. After 2010, the role of chairing the board was taken over by his brother, the late Simon Mukuha, who served until his passing in 2019.
David Kimani remains the Managing Director, with Peter Mukuha serving as the Deputy Managing Director and Chief of Operations. Andreas Von Paleske is the Chief of Strategy, while Charles Mukuha is the Chief of Administration.
Jonathan Ng’ang’a serves as the Chief of Finance, Mary Kinyua is the Chief of Human Resources, Francis Ngari is the Chief Technology Officer, and Damacius Thuo is the Head of Supply Chain.
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