Tuskys Supermarket Planning To Fire 80 More Employees

Tuskys Supermarket is planning to send home at least 80 employees as its woes continue to mount.

For more than three months now, Tuskys Supermarket has been at loggerheads with suppliers for failing to pay them for the goods and services provided.

Tuskys is also being accused of defaulting on rent on most of its outlets across the country. The retailer is resorting to firing employees as a way of cutting on costs.

Kenya Union of Commercial Food and Allied Workers has moved to court to seek orders from the court to stop Tuskys Supermarket from sending home the employees without following proper procedure.

The union also wants the court to compel Tuskys to reveal the criteria being used to layoff employees. They want Tuskys to say how it is arriving at picking those to be fired.

The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has since launched investigations into Tuskys’ bank accounts over 1.2 billion shillings said to be owed to suppliers.

CAK has asked the retailer to avail of all bank statements related to their bank accounts. It has also directed them to pay suppliers by July 16, 2020 failure to which, those in charge risk being jailed.

Tuskys has disputed the amounts being quoted by the suppliers saying it only owes 884.3 million shillings. Tuskys Supermarket customers around the country have raised concerns over missing of various products from the shelves.

When Nakumatt Supermarket collapsed, Tuskys Supermarket was among the players that moved to inherit most of the rooms. Analysts in the sector are saying Tuskys might have undertaken a wide expansion without proper planning.

When Covid-19 came knocking, Tuskys was among the most vibrant in starting off new services such as online shopping and delivery, including cooking and delivering food to Kenyans at a fee.

The retailer has blamed its financial woes on the ongoing pandemic that has led to a drop in sales.

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