Big retail CEO Daniel Githua explains the role of supermarkets formalising the East African economy

Some of the biggest and most visible players in any country are the supermarkets. They employ thousands of people, have a wide geographic presence and interact with many aspects of the economy through supply chains and products sold. Tuskys is one of the biggest in Kenya, and East Africa, and in this episode I interview Daniel Githua the CEO. The interview was pencilled in to take 30 minutes, but there ended up being so much interesting stuff that we continued recording, meaning it’s one of the longer episodes on the show to date. I think part of the reason was the depth of insights that Daniel had, and the frankness with which he spoke about both opportunities and current downsides in running the business. Some highlights from the interview include: the macro trends in formalising the retail sector in Kenya and how reaching new towns transforms the local economy, the biggest opportunities he sees for retail products across different categories, and how the market may change in the coming years, with the introduction of large international retailers like Carrefour and Shoprite If you’re interested in other interviews about food and retail, look to episodes on Cooked Beans, Invoice Financing and especially on Coconuts which talks a lot about the struggles manufacturers have with payment terms when selling to supermarkets, something Daniel recognised that the retail industry has to address. At times there might be a bit of shuffling, and sips of tea (the Tuskys staff were very accommodating) and so please excuse and slurps or shuffles which exist at the beginning – or at least when the tea was still hot. READ MORE AT:https://theeastafricabusinesspodcast.com/2018/09/13/supermarkets-formalising-retail-in-east-africa-with-daniel-githua-of-tuskys/