This archive report was first published on 9 September 2019.
Choppies Supermarket, a Botswana-based retailer, has announced its exit from the Kenyan market, citing reduced business and unsustainable wage bills.
The company, which acquired Ukwala stores for Sh1 billion four years ago, has listed its Kenyan assets for sale and classified its 12 stores as distressed.
According to termination letters signed by the company's Human Resource Manager Joshua Were, the affected workers will receive a one-month notice ending on September 30, with their September salary paid in full.
However, the affected employees have expressed concerns over the timing of the termination, with one employee stating that the company's management had not met with the union leadership to discuss the matter further.
The Kenya Union of Commercial Food and Allied Workers (Kucfaw) has scheduled a meeting with the company management to discuss the termination and the compensation package for the affected workers.
My Opinion is that the loss-making retailer should not sink down with hardworking people's cash. Kenyans woke up very early to go and work, and it's not their mistake that Choppies made losses.
