Kenya's supermarkets bank on Chinese supplies to drive post COVID-19 growth

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NAIROBI, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's supermarkets are banking on continued supplies from China in order to drive their post COVID-19 growth, the industry said on Tuesday.

Wambui Mbarire, CEO of Retail Trade Association of Kenya (RETRAK) told Xinhua that the travel restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the virus have put a strain on stocks on many supermarkets in the country.

"With the opening up of imports into Kenya, we are hoping that we will be able to have access to Chinese supplies and therefore serve our consumers," Mbarire said during the release of a survey titled Retail Industry Outlook Survey 2020: Retail Trends, Challenges & Future Outlook.

She said that Kenya's supermarkets have been dependent on China for furniture, clothes, and electronics.

"Chinese goods have been complementing merchandise that we are able to purchase from domestic suppliers," she added.

According to Mbarire, retailers faced delays in importing Chinese goods but reduced consumer demand delayed stockouts of supplies.

According to the trade lobby, supplies from China remain popular across Kenya because they are affordable to local consumers.

"In the recent past there has been a global drive to source goods from China and Kenya has also benefited from these goods because they offer a viable alternative to other countries," Mbarire said.

She added that the east African nation's supermarkets are also diversifying their product portfolios in order to attract Chinese clients.

"Most of our members now have Chinese corners where they stock products that will cater to their tastes," she added.

She observed that the growing Sino-Kenya relations have led to the development of a vibrant Chinese community in the country which has the potential to boost revenues of the sector. Enditem

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