There are two kinds of shoppers who frequent Eastleigh, Nairobi. One is the kind that cares about affordability and quality, and another that cares less if they are buying knockoffs.
The first group somewhat loathes the chaos of Eastleigh, but it goes there anyway, having realised that few to no shopping malls rival its pricing and some highly priced wares sold in the city centre are sold at a fraction of the cost in the populous shopping district.
The second group is perennial customers. These are mostly traders who buy in volumes, at wholesale prices to resell.
These buyers come from afar, including Tanzania to buy anything from sugar and cooking oil to curtains and carpets.
Over the years, Eastleigh has become a throbbing, uncontrolled trading hub.
In a day, millions of shillings exchange hands in the many crowded stalls, the streets are jammed with people wandering through the chaos of boda bodas, cars and more merchandise.
You would imagine that investors would yearn for order, but it is the chaos that brings super profits and affords them heavy footfall, enviable by many of Nairobi’s struggling shopping malls.
Here cash rules for mobile money withdrawals. If you must pay using mobile money, then you will likely be asked to withdraw the cash from the nearby agent.
At the tentacles of this tumultuous market, stands one of East Africa’s biggest malls, Business Bay Square. It is set to open in early May 2023.
The Business Bay Square Mall (BBS) in Eastleigh boasts 130,000 square metres making it one of the largest malls in East Africa. BY DAILY NATION