This archive report was first published on 21 April 2020.
On April 21, 2020, Tuskys Supermarket chain announced that it had temporarily halted trading in three of its branches in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The affected branches are located in Nairobi, Kitale, and Mombasa, with customers from these locations being redirected to nearby outlets with more space.
According to Chief Finance Officer Martin Syuku, the decision was made to minimize the risk of the virus spreading in crowded stores.
"It's a temporary suspension of our operations in those stores as we try to come out of the impact of coronavirus," said Mr. Syuku.
Customers from the Tom Mboya branch in Nairobi will be served from the Tuskys Imara branch, which is just 10 meters away. Those from the Kitale Mega branch will be served from the Kitale CBD branch, while customers from the Digo Road branch in Mombasa will be served from the Bandari branch, located 500 meters away on Haile Selassie Road.
Workers from the affected branches have been redeployed to other locations, with Mr. Syuku stating that it's a "temporary shutdown of operations in those branches."
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak, Tuskys has faced intense competition in the retail business, with new entrants like Carrefour generating sales worth Sh18.7 billion last year.
