Naivas Boss Willy Kimani Leaves To Start Own Business
Naivas Chief Operations Officer Willy Kimani has left the retailer to start his own business, after being at the helm for seven years.
Kimani left Naivas in December 2023 to start his own retail business, having opened three stores already in Nairobi and targeting two more in the next few days.
Business Times understands that the business dubbed Jaza is already running stores Kayole, Buruburu, and Githurai 44, and is also targeting Gachie and Chokaa areas.
With over 20 years of experience in the retail sector, Kimani started his career in 2001 while still in the university, working for Target Promotion Kenya as a trade supervisor. He was promoted to the position of General Manager after working for 18 months.
He later joined Enkarasha Departmental Store, a subsidiary of Tusker Mattresses Limited, as the Business Development Manager.
He then transitioned to Tusker Mattress where he championed the rebranding of the company to Tuskys and introduced the hypermarket and Chap Chap express store concepts before leaving in 2010.
In October 2010, Kimani joined Naivas and in four years, he took up various roles in marketing, business development, IT and supply chain. He helped the retailer expand from nine branches to 36.
He joined Uchumi Supermarkets as Chief Operations Officer in 2015 where he served for 10 months before returning to Naivas under the same role.