Along Thika Road...the store at Juja, and the one they plan on leasing in the Unicity Mall, are very bad business decisions in my layman opinion. When retailers are battling for space in high density areas, Uchumi is busy occupying areas that are of very low density. With the government as a major shareholder, that sums up everything...bad investment IMHO.

If this rights are taken by longterm fellows,then those who buy might smile going forward,as it appears speculators will stay away which is a good thing.

Now 19.79 million @ Kes. 0.50. That's 20% of the total rights.

Interesting. Thats 24% of total rights. On normal share however i don't find it to be much (62,300 shares). The normal counter has seen high volumes before and especially at 8/- #NF

A value play? No
A speculative play? Yes

Before rushing and buying because big money is moving in,take time to visit your local Uchumi branch and compare it with nakumatt,Tuskys and the new independent stores.Uchumi is suffering and hemorrhaging their brand...

Mr. Ciano used to make regular rounds and meet customers while addressing their queries and taking positive input from them but he has since reduced/stopped all together as I haven't seen him and on inquiring about his visits,the local staff hadn't spotted him in a while

Branches are understocked with delays in restocking.I recently missed tusker in one of their hyper marts yet i was going for a couple of crates.Some of these supply chain issues should be non existent in such a mammoth

On the bright side,they have managed to reduce their debt(helped by having the largest MPesa dealership by volume in the country) and looking ahead it is a prime (hostile) take over candidate by the likes of massmart and carreflour.

Way forward,a new management team after the rights issue,perhaps a more digital one.In fact re-branding would be a good idea all together.Lastly I opine it shall be a good buy after the dilution of the rights issue takes place and a clearer picture of the future emerges.I shall get in Q2 2015 after pocketing capital gains in KK and Centum