Listed below are some of the largest international furniture retailers in the country.

Victoria Courts

Victoria Courts is a project of the Courts Mauritius franchise owned by Bramcom Holding. Victoria Courts Kenya is the 35th store of Courts, but the first to be launched in Africa.

Courts Mauritius already has a network of thirty-four stores in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Madagascar. Over the years the brand has grown to be a household brand, best known for their stylish and modern furniture.

Furniture Palace

Furniture Palace is owned by Noorali Manji, an entrepreneur who made his fortune from selling high-end furniture. The retailer has nine stores spread across Nairobi, Mombasa and Eldoret.

In March this year, Moroccan furniture retailer Kitea Group backed by Private Equity firm Tana Africa Capital, acquired a majority stake in Furniture Palace. Kitea Group operates thirty furniture stores in seventeen cities across Morocco.

Ashley Furniture

Ashley Furniture is a global furniture franchise held by Mohamed Zakir in Kenya, who is also the owner of the Fairdeal Furniture chain.

Ashley Furniture homestore is an American company that manufactures and sells furniture in over 2,000 locations around the world. Its entry into the Kenyan market was welcomed, with many opting for their quality finished furniture and timeless designs.

Dr. Mattress

Dr. Mattress was founded by multinational businessman Adnan Merdin who is also the managing director of the company. The company mainly deals with bed furniture, mattresses and pillows. The company has partnered with international companies including HYPNOS UK, Clean Rest America and LATEXCO. Dr. Mattress is present in 19 towns and cities across Kenya.

Also Read: Dr. Mattress Founder Adnan Merdin Biography, Age, Career, Products, Contacts

Odds & Ends

Odds & Ends imports a wide range of antiques, sofa sets, and home décor items. Its branches include Kisumu showroom, Westlands showroom and at Parklands.

Furniture Palace is owned by Noorali Manji, a serial entrepreneur who made a fortune from selling high end furniture. The company opened its door in 2002, has grown to have six branches-four in Nairobi and one apiece in Mombasa and Eldoret. Over the years, Manji diversified his business by venturing in the manufacture of wheelbarrows and other farm equipment.

Selling Shares 

In September 2021, Tana Furniture-a Mauritius based firm-sought to buy 55.9% shares in Furniture Palace Ltd. Tana has tentacles spread  in 20 different countries with their key  interests being in food, healthcare, agribusiness and furniture. The shareholding would be split into two, with the other half going to its subsidiary Kitea SA. 

“The proposed acquisition relates to Tana Furniture directly acquiring a 27.95 per cent shareholding in Furniture Palace Ltd (FPL) and a 27.95 per cent shareholding through Furniture for Africa (FFA) – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kitea S.A which is jointly controlled by Tana Furniture,” part of the  Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Competition Commission reports reads. 

The key brand achievements of furniture palace include:

• Maintaining its leadership position as the country’s largest retailer of furniture and continuously changing and achieving a double-digit revenue growth, year after year for more than seven years. 
• In 2008, it was awarded small and medium sized enterprises 
• The first furniture company in Kenya to print and distribute a million catalogues in 2010 
• The first company in the country to sell some of the world’s best furniture brands including Ashley from USA and Sofitalia from Italy. 

Branching into the hospitality industry

Noorali Manji also owns kes2.3 billion The Hilton Garden Inn near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport alongside his friend and business partner Shachedina Sabdurin. It was Modern Reliance’s prime location near the airport that gave him the idea to venture into the hospitality industry. 

Also Read: Mohamed Zakir Biography: Brains Behind Fairdeal And Ashley Furniture

The hotel sits on 1.3 acre land hived off from Modern Reliance warehouse land. The capital to begin the hotel came from an Equity bank loan and an advance from Diamond Trust Bank. It has 170 rooms and operates as an airport hotel targeting travellers seeking accommodation that minimizes their chances of being held up in Nairobi’s traffic jam. 

Operating as a Franchise of Hilton hotel, they adhere to the brand’s standards in terms of look and feel, quality of the property, required amenities and the room sizes. The owner of the hotel has autonomy to manage the daily operations with inspections carried out by the parent hotel from time to time to check whether standards are being adhered to.