Mathai Supermarket Ltd (Nyeri Branch)

Great bakery but need to expand product variety Mathai Supermarket is one of the oldest serving supermarkets in Kenya but also one of the smaller ones in terms of size. Mathai Supermarket has outlets all over the country with branches in Nairobi, Karatina, Nyeri, Thika, Murang’a, Ruiru, Embu and Meru. It is quite famous and one of the most frequented supermarkets in Nyeri specifically and I have grown up having all our house shopping being done here. Most of their branches occupy two floors with the top floor mostly having the clothes and furniture section. My favorite thing about shopping at Mathai Supermarket is their tasty pastries. Their rock buns and donuts are sooo yummy and quite addictive for a sweet tooth like me. They should however improve on aisle and section arrangement in their Nyeri Branch because it gets quite confusing shopping there with the shoe section on the same floor as the food section and bakery. Another downside is that they stock products from specific manufacturers so you can easily fail to find a product of choice for instance I always want to purchase Ilara yoghurt but for four times now the attendants at the Nyeri Branch keep saying they haven’t stocked it yet. Besides improving their floor arrangement and product variety it is actually a good place to do some house hopping.

Growing up in Nyeri, often shopped at Mathai Supermarket for all our household needs. Over the years, Mathai expanded and continues to be a place where many residents shop from on a daily basis. It is located right at the heart of Nyeri Town and often used as a landmark by locals and anyone who’s unfamiliar with the area. It also located on a busy one-way street, always bustling with people. Despite expanding their space and having more floors, the space is still very crowded with narrow aisles and poor planning. It is impossible to have a trolley and move it around the supermarket due to the lack of space. I found it odd that the shoes were right next to the bakery. It also does not accommodate the disabled- with no ramps to access other floors. It has a bakery, deli and no parking space outside. If you have a car, you will park it on the street and pay 50KES parking fees to the County Government. Mathai is a good place to shop for one or two items if you are in a hurry and the worst place to shop for bulk. I however still shop here for their bakery’s delicacies.