Kenya’s largest retailer Nakumatt to enter administration

Bloomberg

Nakumatt Holdings Ltd., East Africa’s largest retailer, is seeking a court order to enter administration as part of a plan to revive its debt-laden business.
The Kenyan company will go to court on November 8 for a hearing on the application, which proposes that “business-turnaround professional” Peter Kahi of PKF Consulting Ltd. be appointed as administrator, according to a statement. Nakumatt is “optimistic” that the order will be granted, as it will enable the company to continue as a going concern, it said.
“The order will enable Nakumatt to achieve a better outcome for its creditors as a whole than would likely be the case if the company were liquidated,” the company said.
Nakumatt has been struggling to pay suppliers and owes at least $289 million to creditors including KCB Group, Kenya’s largest lender, along with Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Ltd. and Diamond Trust Bank Kenya Ltd. The debts, which include commercial-paper loans, have forced the company to shutter branches in neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania, as well as its home market of Kenya.
Chief Executive Officer Atul Shah said he was in talks with local rival Tusker Mattresses Ltd., which trades as Tuskys, about a merger. Those talks are continuing, the company said.
“Tusker Mattresses has, subject to the Competition Authority of Kenya’s approval, undertaken to forge ahead with its investment in Nakumatt in connection with its proposed merger,” according to the statement.
The anti-trust authority has
yet to receive any filings from
the two companies on the proposed merger, Director-General Wang’ombe Kariuki said.
“They only made an enquiry seeking guidance on how to proceed,” he said. “Whether it’s a management agreement, merger or acquisition they need to seek an exemption or approval.”
Tuskys is willing to guarantee as much as 3 billion shillings of debt and provide 650 million shillings in additional capital to Nakumatt, the Nairobi-based Business Daily newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Nakumatt had 63 stores in four East African nations at the end of 2016. Shoprite Holdings Ltd. of South Africa is already in talks about opening its first stores in Kenya by filling space left empty by the Nakumatt store closures.