Supermarket chain Carrefour has permanently closed its outlet at Comet House in Nairobi's Central Business District, ending a four-year run at the store that marked the brand's return to the city centre.

A notice pinned to the shuttered doors told shoppers that the branch would close for good with effect from October 31, 2026, thanked them "for your loyalty, trust, and support throughout the years" and directed them to the nearest Carrefour outlets.

A 'regular review', no reason given

Majid Al Futtaim, the Dubai-based group that runs the Carrefour franchise in Kenya, told the Business Daily the decision followed an ongoing review of its operations. "As part of this ongoing review, we have made the decision to close our Carrefour store at Comet House in Nairobi," the Kenya management team said.

The company has not said whether the closure was driven by weak sales, rent, competition or a wider reorganisation of its network. It has also not disclosed how many workers were attached to the branch or whether they will be moved to other stores.

The retailer was keen to dismiss talk of a retreat. "Carrefour continues to operate 35 stores across Kenya," the group said, adding that it remains committed to its long-term operations in the country.

Back to the CBD in 2022

The Comet House store on Monrovia Street opened on November 9, 2022, with discounts of up to 50 per cent on selected items. At the time it was Carrefour's 19th shop in Kenya and stocked more than 9,000 product lines, signalling the chain's return to the city centre after years of concentrating on suburban malls. A second CBD branch followed in 2023.

Social media claims

The closure has set off a wave of speculation online. Videos shared in early November claimed that the Carrefour branch at Southfield Mall in Embakasi had also closed or was running with thin shelves, The Kenya Times reported. Those claims have not been confirmed by the company.

Some shoppers blamed the Comet House location and poor access rather than the brand's health, with one telling the outlet: "This is a matter of the wrong location, and they are not shutting down."

A crowded field

The closure comes as competition among Kenya's big supermarkets intensifies. According to 2025 figures from Sagaci Research cited by the Business Daily, Naivas controls about 31 per cent of the formal retail market, Quickmart 15 per cent and Carrefour 14 per cent, together accounting for six in every ten shillings spent in formal stores.

Naivas and Quickmart have continued to open new branches as retailers fight for shoppers squeezed by the rising cost of living, with inflation climbing to 7.3 per cent in October.

Photos: The Kenya Times (Onyango/X); Nation Media Group file via Business Daily. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.