Sarit Centre which is among Kenya’s oldest malls has revealed that it is planning to construct a US$ 40m building besides its existing mall so that it can serve the growing population in Westlands, Nairobi.
The four storey development will constitute of a 250,000 square feet of retail space and a whole floor of it will be devoted to a new supermarket. The other three floors will have extra retail space, food courts, an exhibition hall and entertainment facilities. The new construction will also accommodate a multi-storey car parking silo which will help create more parking space.
“Westlands has become one of the prime spots for office and retail space expansion. With the burgeoning growth in the population of Westlands and the development of competing malls, this expansion is almost inevitable,” an environmental audit report says.
However, some facilities will be demolished to pave way for the proposed development including the existing car park, one office building and a few residential apartments.
Sarit Centre which is owned by Soma Properties has been a major landmark in Westlands since its establishment 33 years ago. This will be the second major expansion bid since the first one was launched in 1997. The building currently houses 130 tenants who include retailers, service companies and offices.
Kenya has been on the limelight over the last decade with numerous malls being constructed across Nairobi offering more competition to the older shopping establishments like Sarit Centre. These include malls like Westgate which is less than 500 metres from Sarit, Garden City on Thika Road and the upcoming Two Rivers Mall in Ruaka.
Other existing malls including the Village Market that is building new retail outlets, conference halls, a 187-room hotel and a 600 capacity car park among other facilities and more space will eventually be created to the global brands setting up locally.
