Tuskys Supermarket Chief Executive Officer Dan Githua during The Tuskys Internship Programme launch at The Laico Regency Hotel. The programme aims at empowering youths by offering them training and job opportunity across their chain of stores Five months after jumping ship, ex-Tuskys chief executive Dan Githua is now involved in a new online retail venture.
However, even for a serial entrepreneur, the dust from the rubble of the crumbled Tuskys empire might prove hard to shake off.
Githua said he has since formed a “support group” for former Tuskys staff aimed at helping them get jobs.
“I left Tuskys five months ago. That is all I can say today,” Githua told Financial Standard last week, promising to give an interview “at an appropriate time.”
The former boss of the failed retailer has been keeping a low profile and even deleted his popular Twitter account where he vehemently defended Tuskys and commented on the local retail sector. Read More
Here, he once went by the handles “Anko wa Tuskys” and the “Digital Retailer” but later changed to “Anko wa Retail” before quitting the social media platform altogether.
But just before quitting, he’d added “troubled!” to his bio. And after months off the radar, Githua has now resurfaced, marketing an e-commerce platform – AnkoRetail – where sellers can register as vendors and start trading.
Githua, who has previously declined countless interview requests, however, denied being the owner of the e-commerce business, saying it is owned by a Mauritius firm.
“This is a Mauritius e-commerce company that has set up shop in Kenya. I’m helping them with setting up the business,” he told Financial Standard.
The marketplace promises discounts of up to 20 per cent, a pricing that offer better terms than regular supermarkets.
Buyers can get wholesale products, including fruits, vegetables, detergents, home items and textiles.In the wake of Tuskys’ collapse, multiple small businesses, thousands of jobs and livelihoods that relied on the retailer’s ecosystem went down with it.Githua, through a Whatsapp message, said he had formed a support group for former Tuskys staff to help link them with jobs using his “networks.”“This is what I’m doing now, providing support to former staff of Tuskys, organising support groups and using my networks to hook them up with jobs,” he said.In an aggressive marketing strategy, the e-commerce platform has even come up with a show on its Youtube channel dubbed Anko Lifestyle show hosted by influencers.“We want to help shoppers identify […]
