Kyrgyzstan's Umai Holding has announced the acquisition of Vkusnaya Korzinka, a major Kazakh supermarket chain. The acquired retail chain has been operating since 2014 and currently manages 49 grocery stores in Taraz and other locations across southern Kazakhstan. The transaction is currently under review by Kazakhstan's antimonopoly authority.

The main objective of the transaction is to form a unified Central Asian grocery retail platform through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.

"The acquisition of Vkusnaya Korzinka will bring together two grocery retail businesses, creating a platform of more than 220 stores across the two countries. The deal will provide further long-term growth in Central Asia. Vkusnaya Korzinka will gain access to Umai's operational expertise, as well as the investment capabilities and regional experience of its shareholder, Visor International," Umai Holding stated in a press release.

Scale and brands of the combined group

In the Kyrgyz market, Umai Holding manages the grocery retail business Umai Group, which has its own logistics infrastructure and food production facilities. Its portfolio includes 172 stores operating under four retail brands:

• Narodniy: Convenience stores operating in the market since 2002.
• Globus: A chain launched in 2015 that includes express stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, and Bereke stores (which do not sell alcohol or pork products).
• Dostor: A hard discounter chain developing since 2021.
• SPAR: An international brand for which the holding received a development license in Kyrgyzstan in 2023.

For Chinese food producers and exporters, the consolidation of grocery retail in Central Asia creates additional opportunities to operate in two markets simultaneously. The creation of a cross-border network of more than 220 supermarkets with a unified logistics infrastructure could allow Asian FMCG suppliers to conclude centralized contracts for the delivery of groceries, beverages, and confectionery to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, optimising both logistical and administrative costs.