Goods belonging to Uchumi Supermarkets Uganda were auctioned on Thursday by the official receiver, the registrar general at Uganda Registration Services Bureau, in a move to recover money owed to the retailers’ creditors.
The lists of goods auctioned included sanitary towels, diapers, spaghetti, macaroni, coffee and tea, soft drinks and other related items, wines, spirits, shoe polish and health medications comprising of food supplement, soaps, toiletries, cosmetic products and related perishable household items.
The sale of perishable items started on May 20 in Ntinda Industrial Area, in accordance with a court ruling.
The High Court ruling granted to the liquidator authority to sell by public auction of all perishable goods of Uchumi Supermarkets Uganda Limited in liquidation including all stocks with a limited shelf life.
According to the court ruling, the items were sold on the basis of as – is, where – is, non-returnable cash payment without refund or warranty after viewing.
Uchumi Supermarket owes more than a dozen creditors including Crown Bottlers Uganda Limited, Century Bottling Company Ltd, Nateete Shopping Centre, Samona Products, Dembe Trading, a number of landlords seeking their dues, and hundreds of employees that were rendered jobless..
Documents filed in court show that the company had incurred a net loss of $3.062 million as of June 30, 2014. Between January and June 2015, the supermarket registered losses amounting to $87,713.
The Kenya-based supermarket closed its operations in Uganda and Tanzania last year and later filed a bankruptcy petition seeking to wind up business so as to safeguard its remaining assets from creditors.
