This archive report was first published on 21 August 2020.
On August 20, 2020, Victoria Blues Services Auctioneers (VBSA) shut down Tuskys Supermarket store in Kisumu's United Mall, locking the doors and preventing customers and workers from entering.
The move was a result of a dispute between Tuskys and the mall's landlord over Sh26 million in rent arrears.
According to a representative from VBSA, the auctioneers had secured the goods and would auction them off on August 28, including electronics, shelves, toiletries, and food items.
"We have secured the goods by locking the store. They have a dispute over rent with the landlord that they must pay before they can trade at the mall," said the representative.
As a result of the closure, Tuskys customers in Kisumu were left without access to essential goods, which had been missing from the retailer's shelves for months.
Shoppers had complained of missing essential goods, suggesting that some suppliers were severing ties with the company amid a cash crunch, which Tuskys had blamed on Covid-19 restrictions.
Tuskys is racing to sell a majority stake to a consortium made up of a private equity firm and an undisclosed foreign retailer.
