Khetia’s Wholesale business is a name that has become synonymous with quality goods and instant service delivery to customers’ satisfaction in Kenya.
It all began in 1982, when the business was founded on Laini Moja Street of Kitale town in Trans-Nzoia County. With a committed, dedicated, and disciplined workforce of only two employees, the founders were set to attain the desired goal.
Their zeal for success in the business venture led them to supply goods to customers by a single pick-up truck and to various towns up to remote locations.
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Through constant strategic innovations and hard work in the field of business, Khetia’s Wholesale has been able to grow together with its customers and staff. Their mission to be the leading wholesalers in terms of quality goods and instant service delivery to customers’ satisfaction led to the expansion of Khetia’s Webuye Wholesale to bring decent services and products in Kakamega and Uasin Gishu Counties in 1989.
With only two employees, the wholesale shop began hawking their products to the rural areas of Trans-Nzoia using a pickup. The business then expanded and opened various wholesale shops in Webuye and Bungoma.
Their unprecedented growth forced them to acquire a fleet of canters with a goal of reaching the remotest parts of Bungoma.
Due to increased market share covering a wide geographical area, they established another Khetia’s Wholesale branch in Bungoma Town of Bungoma County to cater for their highly esteemed customers from within and nearby towns like Mumias, Busia, Chwele, Malaba, and other environs in 1990.
In 1994, Khetias put up their first retail supermarket in Bungoma town before building the second one in the same town in the early 2000s. In a few years’ time, Khetias put up what was then Kenya’s biggest shopping supermarket called Gigamart, located in Kitale CBD.
In between 2006-2010, the giant retailer purchased Kabarnet Mineral Water Company and purchased property in Eldoret, Kakamega, Kisii, and Kericho. Khetias Eldoret multi-storey supermarket complex was set up around 2012.
Currently, Khetias has other branches spread across Kenya, including Busia, Kakamega, Kisumu, Naivasha, and Nairobi (Mirema Junction Mall). By the time of this publication, Khetias has a total of 18 shops countrywide.
Khetias Management
The supermarket is owned by the Khetia family based in Kitale but is under the management of Ashok Khetia. While opening the Naivasha branch a month ago, Ashok attributed their success to ‘playing the cards right’ and remaining determined.
“The retail business is very tricky (but) if you play your cards right, then you are able to succeed in this business. No matter how difficult it seems to be, we won’t fear taking a step forward. We remain committed to progress,” he told TV 47.
Under Ashok Khetia, the retailer owes its success to the incorporation of biometric and smart card systems to human resource and financial systems.
Additionally, Khetias is known to give discounts while rolling out multi-million rewards to customers, especially during the festive seasons. They also operate bakeries and fast food restaurants within their premises.
Earlier, It wasreported that Khetias Drappers Limited (KDL) is currently working on a partnership with Society Stores, which is owned by Trushar Khetia, an entrepreneur who had isolated himself from his relatives managing KDL.
