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departments in its stores, with trained beauty entertainment in Kenya are changing, and the Another project currently underway is the advisors. The retailer said it would roll the public is now feeling safer going into malls Two Rivers mall, due to open in October concept out to all of its outlets, which number that are well secured,” says Osman, who 2015, which will cover 62,000m (667,362ft ) 2 2 35 in Kenya, and add further brands to its added that the retailer has reserved spaces in of retail space in a semi open-air environment. offer in the future. certain upcoming malls. “People are looking French retailer Carrefour recently signed up at much more premium and prestigious goods to be the mall’s anchor tenant. Some 50% “ power and do not want to rely on traveling terms, according to its developer Centum that are authentic. They have the spending of the mall’s space is already rented in value Investment Group. abroad to buy them.” With all the new mall One of the largest projects is the 50,000m Communicating the concept of prestige properties coming about, (538,196ft ) Garden City mall, part of a 2 distribution to consumers in Kenya, 2 shopping and entertainment mixed-use project funded by London-based however, is complex, Osman says, due to in Kenya are changing, and private-equity frm Actis. The project broke the prevalence of the parallel market and the public is now feeling ground in July 2013, and the frst phase of the fact that in fragrance, mass retailers development is expected to open in late also stock certain selective brands. “We safer going into malls that 2014, providing 33,000m (355,209ft ) of try to differentiate our services and stores 2 2 are well secured retail space to around 100 brands. to make sure we show that we deal in authentic goods,” she says. The retailer also Garden City will house Kenya’s frst Game Nadia Osman ” store (owned by Wal-Mart), as well as a plans to add make-up from brands such as Lancôme and Elizabeth Arden to its offer in branch of Nakumatt. It will be managed by the near future. South Africa’s Broll group, which opened a The Fragrance Lounge co-founder subsidiary in the country last year. While new construction projects will According to Broll, Kenya is a reasonably certainly offer new opportunities for prestige “The large supermarkets are developing into cost-effective market to operate in, thanks brands to enter Kenya, the market is likely department stores and now include make-up to a relatively cheap and established to be dominated by mass for many years and beauty products as a category,” local construction industry and a mature real-estate to come, and remain a slow build for the brand Suzie Beauty founder Suzie Wokabi sector, compared to other African markets. selective segment. n comments. “This is huge for growth, as the customer traffc in these areas is larger than anywhere else.” Kenya prestige retail at a glance There are very few retailers in Kenya that Lintons Beauty World offer an international-standard prestige N° of doors: 1 beauty shopping experience. One of the Launched in 2007 by the owners of the Lyntons pharmacy chain, which already carried best-reputed local beauty retailers is Lintons cosmetics, Lintons Beauty World stocks a range of international prestige brands including Beauty World, an offshoot of the Lyntons Clinique and Estée Lauder, and has a strong service focus. The retailer’s Westgate branch pharmacy chain, which specializes in prestige is now closed, leaving its only operational outlet at The Junction mall. cosmetics. The retailer partnered with Estée Lauder Companies on the launch of the Estée Lauder and Clinique brands in Kenya; this The Fragrance Lounge included opening a full-service counter at the N° of doors: 2 retailer’s store in the Junction mall in May The Fragrance Lounge has been selling prestige fragrances in Nairobi since 2007, and 2012. Lintons currently operates only at The stocks a range of Western brands. Since the Westgate attack of September 2013 closed Junction mall, since the events at Westgate down one of its outlets, The Fragrance Lounge has been operating two outlets, and plans closed its store there. to open more in new mall projects. The retailer has launched an e-commerce boutique, While South African retailers Woolworths and Truworths are present in Kenya through offering consumers the opportunity to speak to a beauty advisor without going to the store to assuage consumers’ fears about visiting malls. a joint venture with local company Deacons, their stores do not stock cosmetics as they do in their domestic market. Mimosa Pharmacy What little prestige distribution exists is almost entirely focused in the capital, N° of doors: 7 Mimosa is a mall-based pharmacy chain in Nairobi with prestige positioning, and carries Nairobi, where a string of mall construction cosmetics from brands such as Revlon, Iman and Black Opal, according to its website. projects are underway. “With all the new Recent events include a renovation of its store at The Junction mall. mall properties coming about, shopping and September-October 2014 - N°19 - BW Confidential 65