Kenya’s modern grocery market has about 500 outlets across roughly 20 chains. Three operators account for an estimated 60% of revenue. Those chains buy fruit, vegetables, dairy and bakery goods from farms and processors, so their share of sales is also a share of what reaches shelves.
Naivas leads with 31% of 2025 revenue, followed by Quickmart at 15% and Carrefour at 14%, according to Sagaci Research figures cited in the Quickmart PLC information memorandum.
Magunas holds 6% and Foodplus 4%. Other operators share 29%. The shares sum to 99% because of rounding.
Market share by operator
| Operator | Share of modern grocery revenue, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Naivas | 31% |
| Quickmart | 15% |
| Carrefour | 14% |
| Magunas | 6% |
| Foodplus | 4% |
| Other operators | 29% |
Source: Sagaci Research, Kenya Retail Market Update, as cited in the Quickmart PLC information memorandum.
Store counts doubled after the legacy chains failed
Modern retail grew from 339 stores in 2020 to 520 in 2025. Nakumatt and Tuskys, once the two largest chains with peak counts of 65 and 64 stores, exited the market. The memorandum attributes their failure to weak governance, fast expansion and poor cost control. Shoprite and Choppies also left.
Naivas became the first Kenyan supermarket to reach 110 stores, a milestone Khusoko reported in February 2025. Naivas posted Sh114 billion in sales for the year ended June 2025, up 21.6 percent. Quickmart reported revenue of KES 50.4 billion for FY2025, up from KES 25.7 billion in FY2021, and now runs 72 stores in 16 counties. Khusoko tracked Chandarana Foodplus as it moved into former Nakumatt sites.
Nairobi holds about 40% of all modern outlets. Quickmart has 41 of its 68 stores (as of 30 June 2026) in the Nairobi metropolitan area.
Informal trade still takes most grocery spending
Modern chains remain the smaller channel. Informal trade, which covers kiosks, open air markets and neighbourhood shops, took about 87% of grocery spending in 2025. Modern trade penetration in grocery stands at 24%.
| Market | Modern trade share of grocery |
|---|---|
| Kenya | 24% |
| Saudi Arabia | 44% |
| South Africa | 64% |
| Mexico | 64% |
| Turkey | 64% |
| Brazil | 71% |
Source: Euromonitor, cited in the information memorandum.
Total retail spending was USD 22.9 billion in 2025. Modern retail made up USD 2.8 billion of that, and online retail USD 0.2 billion. Sagaci forecasts modern retail at USD 4.4 billion by 2030, a 9.5% annual growth rate, against 2.8% for informal retail. That would lift modern retail to 16% of total retail spending.
Where farms meet supermarket shelves
Agriculture contributed about 23.2% of Kenya’s GDP in 2025, and wholesale and retail trade 7.8%. Supermarkets connect the two.
Quickmart places fresh produce at the centre of its stores. Its Fresh & Easy format, introduced in 2019, gives about 30% of selling space to fresh food. The Fresh category, which covers produce, dairy, bakery and prepared foods, is about 12% of its category mix. Fruit and vegetables are supplied on consignment, which moves inventory risk to the supplier.
Quickmart’s corporate site says it works with more than 600 suppliers and takes produce from more than 14,000 farmers. Its IPO site now lists more than 700 suppliers.
| Quickmart supply measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Top ten suppliers, share of FY2025 purchases | 27% |
| Largest single supplier, H1 2026 | about 7% |
| Active joint business plans with suppliers, FY2025 | 269 |
| Shrinkage, H1 2026 | 0.5% of sales |
| Waste, H1 2026 | 0.2% of sales |
| Gross trade payable days, FY2025 | 101 |
| Gross trade payable days, 30 June 2026 | 77 |
Most suppliers deliver straight to stores. Quickmart runs 48 vehicles to move stock between branches. The memorandum describes IFC plans for a training programme for smallholder farmers and supplier aggregators, covering post harvest handling and traceability. IFC also plans to measure food loss across sourcing, storage and retail.
Supermarkets still take a minority of fresh produce. Research puts formal retail at 10% to 15% of domestic fresh produce sales, while smallholders grow 70% to 80% of Kenya’s fruit and vegetables.
Industry estimates put 30% to 40% of fresh produce lost between farm and market, which makes cold chain and packhouse capacity the constraint for farmers who want shelf space.
Rules on how chains treat suppliers
Section 24A of the Competition Act bars abuse of buyer power. The Retail Trade Code of Practice, gazetted on 11 June 2021, covers written supply agreements, payment terms, cost shifting and shelf space charges. In 2023 the Competition Authority fined Carrefour’s local operator a record $8.5 million over supplier discounts.
What market trends show
| Trend | Data | Effect on the farm to shelf chain |
|---|---|---|
| Urbanisation | Urban growth of 3.4% a year against 1.9% for the population. Urban residents rise from 18.5 million to 21.9 million by 2030. | More buyers near stores |
| Food purchasing | Urban households buy 98% of their food. Rural households buying rather than growing rose from 30% in 2009 to 78% in 2022. | Higher demand for packaged and fresh food |
| Neighbourhood formats | Shoppers make more trips with smaller baskets. | Express stores and small supermarkets expand |
| Price sensitivity | Inflation pushes shoppers toward promotions and smaller packs. | Pressure on supplier margins |
| Private label | Chains expand own brands such as Quickmart’s QuickChoice. | More contract manufacturing and sourcing |
| Online retail | Forecast growth of 28.5% a year from USD 0.2 billion. | More demand for cold chain and delivery |
| Mobile money | 53.4 million subscriptions by March 2026. | Cashless checkout and loyalty data |
| Climate | Drought and floods can disrupt fresh produce supply. | Chains source across several climate zones |
Online retail is a small base. Mobile money access is the reason chains expect it to grow.
Reading the market share figures
The 60% share comes from Sagaci Research data published in a document written for Quickmart’s listing.
Other estimates differ. ATNi puts Quickmart at 9% to 11% of modern food retail, against the 15% the company claims, and the same source puts the three chains at 36% to 42% combined.
Informal trade makes any share figure hard to verify. Revenue shares and store counts also measure different things.
Listing puts supplier terms in view
Sokoni Retail Kenya is selling 2 billion existing shares, 50% of Quickmart’s issued capital, at a fixed price of KES 7.50.
The offer is a sale of existing shares, so Quickmart receives no proceeds. Listed chains publish results, so supplier payment days, shrinkage and fresh sales will become public each reporting period. Farmers and processors can use those figures when negotiating terms.
