China Square expands its retail presence in Kenya to seven stores

In March 2023, for example, small traders marched in their hundreds to the deputy president’s office in Nairobi to demand an end to what they called a ‘China invasion’. According to a BBC report at the time, the traders were concerned that China Square was undercutting their prices. 

The China Square store at Two Rivers Mall occupies 700 square metres and is said to account for 10% of the mall’s total floor space. Two Rivers claims to be the largest shopping mall in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa. 

Greenspan Mall is located in Donholm, a residential and commercial neighbourhood about 8km east of the central business district. 

Further expansion is on the cards 

China Square Managing Director Lei Cheng, quoted in a news report by radio station Capital FM, said the retailer has plans for further growth and wants to expand its portfolio to other cities in the country. 

According to Trendtype, the emerging markets consultancy, China Square initially imported 90% of its products from China. It now claims to import only 60% of its products, with the rest sourced domestically.  

“The growth of China Square is part of a broader pattern of Chinese general merchandise retailers building big-box stores in a number of markets,” Trendtype says. 

“In September 2024, a new Chinese superstore opened in a space in Kampala that had previously been an anchor tenancy for Shoprite. In April 2024, the EU Chinatown Supermarket opened in Tamale, northern Ghana, one of several large Chinese stores in the country.”