Sarit Center is undertaking a mega expansion project In a bid to redefine Kenyans’ shopping experience.
The project, which is expected to cost Ksh 4 billion, is carried out by Broadway Malyan, – an award winning international design, architecture, and urbanism company. The Sarit Center expansion project is part of the mall’s five-year plan that aims to promote its presence in both Kenya and the entire East Africa.
Increase in number of Malls in Kenya
The Sarit Center in Westlands, Nairobi, is kenya’s oldest shopping mall and was inaugurated back in 1984. The management probably saw that it would be better to expand since the mall business has in recent years been getting more and more competitive. This step will, therefore, help to consolidate their customer base. The new competitors in the Kenyan mall business include The Hub Karen, Westgate Mall, The Two Rivers Mall, The Garden City Mall, Thika Road Mall, among others.
Increase in Sarit Center mall size and facilities
Sarit Center’s management received expansion approval from the government sometime late last year. The expansion is expected to involve the construction of a new mall that would be adjacent to the current one. This move would double Sarit Center’s size by adding about 250000 square feet of space.
Mr. Nitin Shah, Sarit Centers’ director, said that this expansion plan was going to be the biggest revamp done by the mall since it was opened. He said that they expect the facelift to enhance Sarit Center by having more retail space, having multi-storey car parking silo, more space for leisure, a rooftop garden, and for conferencing and exhibition facilities. After the expansion, the owners anticipates to receive over 50,000 visitors on a daily basis. The new mall will also accommodate various international retailers that have in recent years invested in the Kenya.
Upgrading Sarit Center will net more businesses and customers
According to Mr. Nitin Shah, they are trying to look for a way that will keep their visitors around after 6 pm. He said they will open excellent dining facilities such as specialty restaurants, cinemas as well as pubs. Other facilities that can help attract and retain customers include the Sarit Center Cinema. The new international retailers are expected to bring new products to the market, and this is another way of attracting more visitors to the mall, and especially those who want to try the new products.
Sarit Center is owned by Soma Properties which is a Nairobi-based developer. Soma Properties has for a long time been a major landmark in Nairobi’s Westlands district. Currently, Sarit Center houses around 130 tenants. These tenants include service companies, retail brands among others. According to Soma Properties directors, Sarit Center has enjoyed a full occupancy in the mall for slightly more than twenty years.
Competition in the Kenya Mall market
In the last decade, Nairobi has seen some wealthy developers investing in more malls across the city and its environs. The new malls in Kenya are giving older malls, such as the Sarit Center, more competition, hence the need to upgrade and become competitive. Although, the Sarit Center location has favored the City within a City facility, the facelift will ensure that is at par and able to provide services and products that appeal to the customers.
Products and companies in Sarit Center
The mall provides all kinds of products and services. This includes computyers, phones, tablets, telecommunication services, kitchenware, supermarket, banking, footware,cimena, eateries,pubs and more. It hosts Safaricom sarit cenrter branch, Airtel Kenya Sarit center branch and Elite Digital Solutions, a company that deals with Apple Mac products in Kenya.
The Sarit Center shopping complex also hosts banks such as Kenya Commercial bank, Bata shoes, Textbook Center, Uchumi Supermaket and many more. The parking is automated and manned by Kenya Airports Parking Services (KAPS LTD).