Tuskys faces auction at remnant City branch

The branch -- Tuskys Imara on Tom Mboya Street -- is part of a five-storey commercial property registered in the name of Tusker Mattresses Limited (Tuskys).

The property which comprises three floors of a shopping mall is set for auction on the second of March by Antique Auctions which placed the auction notice on the local dailies on Monday.

The auction will come a day after the High Court commercial division gave directions on a wind-up petition facing the indebted retailer which is led by Hotpoint Appliances Limited, a key creditor to the supermarket chain.

Tuskys Imara is one of the few remaining outlets for the former retail giant which has in recent months struggled to stay afloat under the weight of creditors’ pressure including enraged landlords.

As of Christmas 2021, Tuskys had only seven other operational branches including two in the CBD, Langata road (T-Mall), Tuskys Thigiri, Ongata Rongai, BururuBuru (Eastlands) and Kiserian (Ol-Talet).

The retailer has nevertheless lost its OTC branch in the City with Quickmart taking over the branch in Nairobi’s downtown.

Tuskys has been offering discounted sales on products including electronics, kitchenware, furniture, clothing & footwear to attract footfall to its thinning branch network.

At its height in early 2020, Tuskys was Kenya’s largest retailer serving over 10 million customers through nearly 65 branches in Kenya and Uganda and an e-commerce platform.

The continuity of the beleaguered retailer presently hangs in the hands of its creditors which owes in excess of Ksh.6 billion.