Westgate is a premier shopping mall located along Mwanzi Road in the Westlands area of Nairobi, with lots of daily, weekly and monthly entertainment options for the whole family.
It is one of the finest shopping, leisure and pleasure destinations for millions of residents and international visitors.
Westgate Shopping Mall first opened its doors in 2007 and currently has over 90 stores and 350,000 square feet of retail space.
It has a variety of art and craft kiosks all open from 9:00 am to 8:00 p.m., as well as entertainment outlets and restaurants that are open till midnight seven days a week.
Westgate Mall 2013 Terrorist Attack
The Mall was closed after the September 2013 al-Shabaab terrorist attack.
Westgate was reopened in July 2015 after the management restored its operations and implemented enhanced security measures.
Westgate is owned by Sony Holdings, an Israeli-based company founded by Alex Trachtenberg and Vishiali Madan.
Also Read: How a Businessman Founded Kiambu Mall and Bia Tosha After Leaving His Job
Alex Trachtenberg
Trachtenberg is a director at Sony Holdings, the Israeli-based developer that owns Westgate Mall.
He has lived in Kenya for over three decades and was involved in the reconstruction of Westgate Mall after the 2013 terrorist attack.
In a past interview, Trachtenberg described the emotional challenge of re-entering the destroyed building and the resolve to rebuild it as a symbol of Kenya’s resilience.
Also Read: Iconic Mall on Thika Superhighway Set for Auction
“It was challenging to enter the building for the first time and see what had happened. It took quite a bit of time to reorganise my mind and to even have the will of rebuilding the mall. There were a lot of emotions as you would expect. So of course it was hard, but we managed to do it – and we are happy it has reached this stage today,” he said.
Some of the brands with shops at Westgate include international footwear franchise Bata, audio equipment company Bose, Kenyan coffee chain Dormans, East Africa’s largest retailer Nakumatt and US fast food brands KFC and Subway.
Vishiali Madan
Vishiali Madan is also a co-owner and key figure within Sony Holdings, alongside Trachtenberg.
Madan keeps a low media profile but her role in the ownership structure is recognized in coverage about Westgate’s history.
Sony Name Trademark Dispute
In 2013, Sony Holdings faced a trademark dispute with Sony Corporation, the Japanese electronics giant, over the exclusive use of the ‘Sony’ name in Kenya.
Sony Holdings remained deeply involved in Westgate’s operations it lost the case.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
