The Thika Road Mall (TRM) branch of the Nakumatt chain of supermarkets was on Monday raided by auctioneers who seized a number of its assets.
The Moran Auctioneers are said to have been working under the instructions of the mall's management who are seeking to recover Sh51 Million in rent arrears.
Assets that have been seized include six moving trucks, 400 customer trolleys, office furniture, ovens and other electrical appliances, forcing the retailer to rush to court for an injunction.
Suit papers indicate that the TRM group has sought the drastic action after prolonged talks to facilitate payment of the debt collapsed.
Nakumatt, however, wants the auctioneers barred from selling the assets to recover the monies and TRM blocked from evicting them from their facility.
Nakumatt has also accused the auctioneers of seizing items that are, by law, exempt from attachment.
"A section of the goods which have been proclaimed are exempt from attachment such as the 400 customer trolleys, which constitute Nakumatt’s tools of trade and 11 packets of KCC Delite yoghurt, which are perishable goods," Nakumatt's petition stated.
The tussle comes hot on the heels of the shutdown of three Nakumatt outlets in Uganda outlining that the branches were scheduled for "redevelopment to add additional values to our shoppers and their shopping experience".
Read More: Nakumatt Shuts Down 3 Branches
Nakumatt and TRM have asked the court to grant them until July 19 to negotiate a settlement that may lead to a withdrawal of the suit.
