Employees of Tuskys Supermarket Limited protest outside the Tuskys Chap Chap branch in Nairobi. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU Three more outlets of the troubled Tuskys Supermarket risk going under the hammer as landlords seek to recover outstanding rent arrears.
Garam Investment Auctioneers on Wednesday put a notice in the local dailies and listed three properties of the retailer’s stores for public auction between October 21 and October 23.
Tuskys outlets along the North Airport Road’s Kencor Petrol Station, Embakasi (Tuskys Embakasi) and Tuskys Komarock Mall (K-Mall) are the three branches that have been earmarked for auctioning.
At the same time, Auckland Agencies Auctioneers is also set to auction Tuskys’ movable properties at Juja City Mall.
This comes as tens of the retailer’s employees continue holding protests over their dismissal and their former employer’s failure to make a firm commitment on settling their severance dues.
SACKED
Tuskys has not paid thousands of its direct and outsourced employees for the months of July and August, with salary arrears topping an estimated Sh320million.
In August, the troubled retailer, which is operated by Tusker Mattress Ltd, sacked tens of workers and shut down at least four branches in Kenya, in the face of a deepening cash flow crisis.
The retailer sent home an undisclosed number of non-unionised workers, most of whom had gone for two months without full payment.
On Tuesday, the retailer hired former Uchumi Supermarket finance boss Chadwick Okumu as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO), filling the post that fell vacant in July.
Tuskys had last month stated it was searching for a new finance chief as it also sought to raise funds to clear loans and suppliers’ dues.