Nakumatt Holdings has taken a first step in its East African expansion plan with the formal opening of a branch in Kigali. While also announcing plans to cover the pan-African market in the coming years, the retail giant officially opened the doors to its first US$ 3m supermarket at the trade Union Trade Center.

The new outlet, which covers a shopping floor space of more than 25,000 square feet, is the first Nakumatt branch outside Kenya with plans to open similar stores in Uganda and Tanzania now at an advanced stage.

Speaking at the opening of the new branch, Nakumatt Holdings Operations Director Thiagarajan Ramamurthy described it as a milestone for Nakumatt holdings.

He disclosed that the supermarket chain will be investing more than US$ 20m in the East Africa expansion plan which will see the chain opening three branches in Uganda, two in Rwanda, four in Tanzania and raising its network in Kenya to 30 in the next two years.

During the event officiated by the Minister for Trade and Industry Monique Nsanzabaganwa, the Operations Director pledged to maintain the firm's world class standards in the East African expansion drive.

"Through this supermarket, we shall also be focusing our energy on the transfer of global retail best practice to the Rwandan retail marketplace" says Thiagarajan Ramamurthy.

He added that such international best practices will be implemented alongside a strategic effort to foster the growth of local manufactures and producers.

With the opening of the Kigali branch, Nakumatt Holdings has managed to reach its objective of an East African presence while raising its total number of outlets to twenty.

The supermarket chain's entry in Rwanda is the culmination of an investor partnership program spearheaded by the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA). Speaking at the ceremony, RIEPA Director General Francis Gatare described the opening as a very rich harvest.

He expressed confidence that Nakumatt's entry into Rwandan market will facilitate further development in the country's retail sector as envisioned in the Rwandan vision 2020 development blueprint.

"Today's launch follows a period of great partnership between RIEPA and Nakumatt through the sequence of the investment interest and execution. We applaud them for believing in and experiencing Rwanda as a vision and determination to provide the best environment for business operators", Mr. Gatare said.

A wide range of foods beverage, toiletries, electronics and furniture will be on sale at the Nakumatt City Center. In Kenya, Nakumatt stores are renowned for their unique features which include a one-price policy and customer loyalty programs. The company has also set up the Nakumatt Academy at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

With a branch network of 19 branches in Kenya's major towns of Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Meru, and Kisii, Nakumatt is also the first company in sub-Sahara Africa to introduce 24 hour service at selected branches.

Last year, Nakumatt Holdings also made its debut ranking in the prestigious planet retail to 30 global retailers listing, beating major global supermarket chains.