Quickmart shoppers had accumulated Sh139 million worth of unredeemed loyalty points by the end of last year, highlighting the growing value of customer rewards schemes in Kenya’s supermarket business.
The retailer’s estimated liability for unredeemed loyalty points rose from Sh117 million in 2024 to Sh139 million at the end of December 2025, according to its financial disclosures seen by the Business Daily.
The points represent rewards earned by customers through purchases that can be redeemed for eligible products or discounts. Customers typically earn a set number of points for the money they spend, and these can later be exchanged for discounts, free products or preferential prices.
Loyalty schemes have become an important tool for supermarkets seeking to retain customers and encourage repeat purchases in a highly competitive retail market.
‘As at December 31, 2025, the estimated liability for unredeemed points was Sh139,070,000 (2024: Sh117,070,000),’ Quickmart said in its financial statements.
Beyond rewarding shoppers, loyalty schemes allow retailers to build profiles of customer purchasing patterns and use the data to tailor promotions and offers to individual shoppers.
The programmes can also encourage customers to increase the value or frequency of their purchases to earn more rewards. Kenya’s second-largest retail chain estimates the value of the outstanding points based on customers’ historical redemption patterns, the products available for redemption and shoppers’ preferences.
‘Any significant changes in customers’ redemption patterns will impact the estimated redemption rate,’ Quickmart said.
The value of loyalty points has previously emerged as a major issue when supermarket chains collapse.
Customers of Nakumatt Holdings lost access to nearly Sh2 billion worth of loyalty points after the retailer collapsed and creditors moved to liquidate the company in 2020.
The retailer was reported to still have about Sh1.8 billion worth of loyalty points owed to former customers, highlighting the financial exposure that loyalty programmes can create for both retailers and shoppers.
Following its 2015 financial woes, which saw it shut down most of its regional and local branches, Uchumi Supermarkets disclosed that its unclaimed customer loyalty points were worth Sh239 million.
Tusker Mattresses Limited (Tuskys Supermarket) collapsed in 2023 with an undisclosed number of customer reward points. Quickmart’s disclosures come as the retailer continues to expand its presence in Kenya’s supermarket sector.
The company is now the second-largest retail chain in Kenya behind Naivas by store count and turnover, with an estimated 15 per cent share of the market. The company has a current store count of 72 in 16 counties.
In the year ended December 2025, Quickmart reported a 33 percent growth in net profit to Sh1.51 billion. Sales rose by 9.3 percent to Sh50.43 billion during the year. Quickmart’s owners are selling a 50 percent stake through a public offer at the Nairobi Securities Exchange between now and October 31.