Jaza Supermarket is now Kenya’s youngest and fastest-growing retail chain, known for its low-price model and focus on locally-made products.

Since its launch in November 2023, Jaza supermarket has experienced rapid growth to over 20 stores in various parts of Nairobi and Kiambu counties.

Among the areas the retailer has opened outlets are Buruburu, Kayole Mihango, Githurai 44, Kayole Soweto, Pipeline estate, Utawala, Lang’ata, and Mirema, among others.

So, who is the businessman behind the fast growth of this discounter? Jaza Supermarket is owned by the former Naivas Supermarkets Chief Commercial Officer, Willy Kimani.

Kimani started Jaza after an over 20-year stint at some of Kenya’s major brands, including Tuskys, Uchumi, and Naivas.

Narrating his journey, the businessman revealed his entrepreneurship seed was ingrained in him in the early 1990s when the then ten-year-old would accompany his mother to buy maize and sell to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).

Watching his mother strike business deals and negotiate prices opened his eyes to the world of business.

“It has been interesting, and I can say my entrepreneurship skills are from the family culture. We were more of business people,” he said in a past interview with The Star.

His love for business was evident even during his high school days at Lenana School as he chose business studies, setting the foundation for what he is today.

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“I became more attached to business during my years in school. During my time at Lenana, I ended up being the best student in business and business for me was at the heart of everything. I had a very good teacher,” Kimani reminisces.

After completing school in October 1999, Kimani started selling second-hand cars in Nairobi and purchased his first while still a student at the University of Nairobi.

“I sold cars for the next three years including my first year on campus. I was among the few guys to go to campus with my own ride. This was from the commissions I earned. It had some challenges… sometimes you get nothing, you get swindled, but I kept on,” he recalls.

He revealed that while still a student, he operated the students’ centre where he sold various items, including groceries from Marikiti.

During that time, he created a good rapport with the late Stephen Mukuha, then the Tusker Mattresses boss, who later offered him a job at the retailer.

“The guy was clear that the moment I finished campus. I go he gets me something to do, which I did, and I started by supplying toys,” Kimani remembers.

The economics graduate was then tasked with helping rebrand Tusker Mattresses to Tuskys, getting the finance systems right, among other changes, an opportunity that honed his skills in the retail space.

He served at Tuskys for six years in various capacities, including marketing, new business development, and information technology.

“We had a lot of innovations at the rebranded Tuskys, introducing new products such as fresh produces, milk and many others. Uchumi had these but we went a step further in delivering,” Kimani explained.

In 2009, he moved to Naivas, where he also led the rebranding of the retail store. He left Naivas and joined Uchumi for eight months, honing his skills in the retail space.

“The eight months at Uchumi were a very important part of my growth because I learned a lot about how not to do retail. I learned the importance of how things look like when you have proper customers, and people love you,” he said.

He returned to Naivas where he became the Chief Operations Officer. He explains that his decision to start Jaza Supermarket was inspired by the huge gap in local retail space.

“I noticed there is a huge gap between what we can call the very high end and the very low end. The gap in Kenya is way high, meaning what you would call general trade and modern trade in Kenya, we were missing something in between.”

“We looked at the gap and said why don’t we give customers something with a supermarket feel, but has the wholesale price that was missing in this market? ” Kimani said.

Only five months after Jaza’s launch in Kenya, the retailer had opened about 15 stores in Nairobi and its environs. The outlets have grown to the current 23, all of which are served from its Mombasa Road warehouse.

Unlike the normal retail space where suppliers get paid after sales are made, Jaza suppliers are reportedly paid in advance with 100 per cent local sourcing.