Why Kenya’s Retail Future Is Being Built One Strip Mall at A Time
- According to MySpace Properties CEO Mwenda Thuranira, strip malls are reshaping Kenya’s urban retail with speed and convenience
- Thuranira noted that Kenyan consumers now prefer quick, local shopping over grand mall experiences
- He explained the benefits developers and retailers receive from lower costs and faster occupancy rates in strip malls
Nairobi, Kenya – Once dominated by gleaming mega-malls with grandiose entrances and underground car parks, Kenya’s urban retail landscape is now undergoing a quiet but powerful transformation.
Source: Facebook
In the bustling streets of Nairobi and regional centres such as Kisii and Kisumu, a new kind of shopping experience has emerged where function takes precedence over form and speed over spectacle.
Why Kenyans are embracing strip malls
These low-key developments are known as strip malls: modest, street-facing clusters of convenience stores, grocery shops, cafes, salons, pharmacies and more, usually located on busy roads with just enough parking to get in and out quickly.
According to Mwenda Thuranira, CEO of Myspace Properties, a pioneer in strip mall technology, this trend could be the most significant retail development Kenya has seen in a decade.
“People no longer want to make a trip every time they need milk, medicine or a haircut. Today’s urban consumer wants speed. They want proximity. They want to get things done and get on with their lives,” Thuranira told TUKO.co.ke.
Thuranira’s findings reflected a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour that many in the property and retail industries have observed.
The property developer pointed to the retail boom of the 2010s, when developers scrambled to build mega-malls along the lines of Sandton and Dubai — spaces that offer experiences rather than errands.
However, he noted that the pandemic, changing work patterns and Nairobi’s ever-worsening traffic have recalibrated shoppers' priorities.
“Convenience has become more valuable than spectacle. The modern Kenyan shopper doesn’t want to impress anyone, they want to get things done efficiently and maybe have a decent coffee in the process,” he explained.
Unlike traditional shopping centres that depend on anchor tenants to attract visitors, shopping malls benefit from an organic flow.
Strategically positioned along commuter routes and residential areas, they blend seamlessly into daily life.
Source: UGC
Will strip malls take over traditional malls?
The CEO noted that retailers welcome the change that comes with lower rents and consistent customers.
“The model is leaner, less risky, and quicker to build. When we developed MyTown Karen, we achieved full occupancy before the paint had even dried. Some tenants were knocking before the walls were up,” he revealed.
Thuranira clarified that strip malls are not the death of the mall, but a redistribution of retail logic.
He said destination malls still have their place for family outings and window shopping.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
