How to buy shares at Quickmart IPO, priced at only Sh7.50 per share

Quickmart has moved from the supermarket shelf to the stock market.

The retailer's Initial Public Offering opened on October 5, 2026, offering 2 billion existing ordinary shares at Sh7.50 each.

The offer runs until 5pm on October 30, giving investors three weeks to apply.

At the offer price, the shares being sold are worth Sh15 billion, while all 4 billion issued Quickmart shares give the retailer an implied equity value of Sh30 billion.

The minimum is Sh3,750

An investor needs at least 500 shares to participate.

At Sh7.50 per share, the minimum application therefore costs Sh3,750.

Additional applications must be made in multiples of 100 shares, meaning each extra block costs Sh750. There is no maximum application size.

The offer is open to eligible Kenyan retail investors, as well as institutional and other qualifying investors under the offer terms.

Quickmart is not getting the Sh15 billion

This is one of the most important details in the IPO.

The 2 billion shares are existing shares, not newly created stock.

They are being sold by Sokoni Retail Kenya Limited, Quickmart's current shareholder.

That means the money raised from the offer goes to the selling shareholder rather than directly into Quickmart's bank account.

Quickmart's official IPO information estimates net offer proceeds of about Sh14.4 billion to Sokoni after applicable offer expenses.

The listing therefore gives the public a 50% ownership stake in the supermarket while providing the existing shareholder with an exit opportunity.

The company behind the shares

Quickmart has grown considerably since it was founded in Nakuru in 2006.

The retailer had 68 stores across 16 counties as of June 30, 2026, and reached 72 stores after opening four more in July and August.

It reports more than 5 million customer transactions each month, over 8,000 employees and about 2.5 million Q-Points loyalty members.

Financially, Quickmart reported Sh50.4 billion in revenue and adjusted profit after tax of Sh1.7 billion in 2025.

Revenue grew at a compound annual rate of 18.4% between 2021 and 2025, while first-half 2026 revenue reached Sh27.3 billion.

Management's 2026–2030 strategy targets 10 to 15 new stores a year and more than 100 stores in Kenya over the medium term.

How to buy Quickmart shares

You need a valid Central Depository System (CDS) account before applying.

The account is where NSE shares are electronically held.

Quickmart has provided three main application channels.

Investors can apply through the Quickmart IPO online portal, through Safaricom Ziidi Trader, or by dialling the official USSD code *483*803#.

The USSD channel is available for applications of up to Sh250,000.

Investors can pay through M-Pesa or the other payment options specified on the IPO platform.

Anyone without a CDS account can open one through a licensed stockbroker or investment bank before submitting an application.

When will Quickmart start trading?

The offer closes on October 30 at 5pm.

Quickmart expects to announce the IPO results on November 6, credit successful investors' CDS accounts and begin refunds from November 11, before the shares start trading on the NSE on November 12, 2026.

The dates remain subject to regulatory approval and could change.

An investor who receives fewer shares than applied for will have the excess application money refunded.

The offer is also conditional on valid applications for at least 75% of the shares on offer - 1.5 billion shares - and allocations to at least 250 investors, unless the Capital Markets Authority approves a waiver or reduction of the minimum subscription condition.

What happens after buying?

Once listed, Quickmart shares will trade like other NSE stocks.

Their market price can rise or fall depending on demand, the company's financial performance and wider market conditions.

Quickmart's board says it intends to target a dividend payout ratio of at least 80% of annual profit after tax, paid semi-annually, subject to the company's performance, capital needs, growth plans and board discretion.

So the Sh3,750 entry point is only the beginning of the calculation.

The real investment question is what those shares will be worth - and what income they may generate - after Quickmart becomes a publicly traded company.