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INFORMAL RETAILING
By our News Team | 2023
How closing his unprofitable small food stalls and opting for a hawker’s cart proved a game changer for an informal trader.
From Kenya’s vibrant informal trading sector comes a story of an inspiring vendor who is living an important philosophy for retailers of any size: always be innovative and quick to adapt to market and customer needs.
John Koome, Regional Sales Manager at Twiga Foods, the B2B marketplace platform that sources produce directly from farmers and delivers it to retailers, tells of an unnamed Twiga customer who operated two small informal food stalls (known as ‘vibandas’).
Photo courtesy of John Koome
Twiga used to deliver one crate of tomatoes for each shop daily. However, the business struggled and the customer found he couldn’t keep up with the fixed costs of rent and wages.
So he closed the stalls and bought a two-wheeled open cart, known locally as a ‘mkokoteni’. This proved a game changer for his business.
Tomato sales have now more than doubled
Previously, he sold a total of two crates of tomatoes daily at the two shops. But now, using the mkokoteni, he sells an average of five 22kg crates daily.
The margins for fresh produce are good, and the informal retailer now makes over Kes 2,000 daily (US$14) in profit from just his tomatoes, which equates to Kes 60,000 (US$420) monthly.
What’s the magic of having a mkokoteni, rather than two street stalls? Koome explains:
“I remember asking him, ‘how many crates of tomatoes do you sell on a bad day?’ His answer was ‘I no longer have a bad day, unless I want to have one’,” says Koome.
“Key takeaways from this inspiring vendor: Always be innovative and quick to adapt to market and customer needs!”
You can read John Koome’s original social media post here.
The rapid spread of online misinformation has become a significant risk for businesses, brands and wider society. Why do people fall for it?
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