Why People, Not Just Technology, Are Driving Naivas’ Growth Across East Africa | WRC 2026
About this episode
The episode discusses how Naivas' growth in East Africa is driven by a focus on people and technology.
In this Omni Talk Retail interview, recorded live from day two of World Retail Congress 2026 in Berlin, Chris Walton talks with Andreas von Paleske, CEO of Naivas, about scaling one of East Africa’s fastest-growing grocery retailers while balancing operational discipline, employee development, and technology transformation. Drawing from his background in private equity, Andreas shares how Naivas grew from roughly 30 stores to more than 100 locations by focusing on affordable groceries, strong store execution, and long-term investment in frontline employees. The conversation explores why career development and internal promotion have become critical differentiators for the company, especially in a market where modern grocery retail is still rapidly evolving. The discussion also dives into how Naivas is approaching AI, customer data, and operational efficiency. Andreas explains how the retailer is using loyalty insights, demand planning, and planogram optimization to improve store performance while freeing employees from repetitive tasks so they can spend more time serving customers directly. Throughout the interview, one message stands out clearly: technology works best when it…
More episodes of Omni Talk Retail
- Kingfisher’s DIY Ecommerce Strategy to Reach 30% Online Sales | WRC 2026
- Former Walmart International CEO Judith McKenna on Frontline Retail, Boards, and AI | WRC 2026
- Former Best Buy CTO Brian Tilzer Explains Retail’s Third Wave of AI | WRC 2026
- Grocery Automation Is Back on Retailers’ Radar with Ocado CEO Tim Steiner | WRC 2026
- Jose Gomez on ETAM’s US Expansion & Global Growth | WRC 2026
- Retail’s AI Future May Be Bigger and Slower Than You Think with EY and EY Studio+ | WRC 2026
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Omni Talk Retail podcast page.