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Gilani’s: When Possibility becomes Purpose
Gilani’s began as a small, family-run supermarket in 1974, a modest shop in Nakuru, Kenya, built on honesty, service and the quiet determination of the Gilani family. What started as shelves, sacks and a simple mission has grown into one of Kenya’s most trusted FMCG forces. Today, the business reaches 47 counties, serves more than 32 000 customers and completes over 52 000 monthly deliveries across Kenya. Gilani’s evolved into a three-generation success story shaped by a simple belief: when possibility becomes purpose, growth becomes inevitable.
For CEO Faiz Gilani, returning to the family business after a successful corporate career in London wasn’t a duty, it was a calling. “I realised the family business isn’t just a job – it’s a generational mission,” he reflects. That mission would see Gilani’s evolve beyond retail into a sector-shaping FMCG distribution model now redefining how goods move across East Africa.
The problem
As demand for FMCG products grew, Gilani’s reached a critical inflection point. The opportunity was vast, but the infrastructure of a traditional retail business could no longer sustain the scale required. Expanding into full-scale distribution meant investing in fleet, technology, warehousing, customer credit and operational systems, all while maintaining leadership in a competitive market.
Early experiments revealed both possibility and risk. In 2010, when Faiz first tested the idea of distribution, he climbed onto a truck himself. Orders were recorded on paper. The first truck left almost empty. “My hope was empty too,” he admits. But a single order from one loyal customer filled the truck and unlocked a new direction for the business.
The gap between ambition and operational capacity grew wider as demand surged. Like many high-growth African enterprises, Gilani’s needed more than capital. It needed a financial partner that understood scale, sector nuance and the pace at which a business anchored in community, and legacy, could grow.
The solution
Gilani’s chose Stanbic Bank as its strategic financial partner, a partnership that transformed expansion from aspiration into structured, sustainable growth.
Through a combination of commercial asset finance, fleet finance and working-capital lending, Stanbic Bank supported the development of a modern logistics backbone. This enabled the acquisition of a significantly larger fleet, expanded warehousing, and advanced technology systems that power real-time stock control, price optimisation, route planning and delivery tracking.
As the business outgrew its original facilities, commercial property finance provided the foundation for new distribution hubs and operational centres, strengthening Gilani’s ability to serve thousands of retailers quickly and efficiently.
The partnership also enabled innovation at customer level. Recognising that many small retailers struggle with access to capital, Gilani’s has been developing an Order Now, Pay Later (ONPL) model, a credit solution powered by their own algorithm that is currently in testing. Once fully rolled out, ONPL aims to extend stock financing to micro and small retailers, helping shop owners purchase inventory without upfront cash and strengthening retail ecosystems across Kenya.
Gilani’s also launched its customer-facing app, enabling retailers to order stock directly from their shops or homes. Together, these interventions created a modern, scalable and tech-enabled business built for the next decade of growth.
This was not just financing, it was architecture. It was the point where possibility became purpose.
The outcome
From a humble supermarket to a national FMCG distribution powerhouse, Gilani’s stands as one of East Africa’s most compelling growth stories. Today, the business operates with more than 1 200 staff, a fleet of over 200 trucks, 12 distribution hubs, and a supplier network that continues to expand into Uganda and Tanzania.
Its private-label products, technology-driven systems and data-enabled delivery network position it as a regional leader redefining FMCG distribution in East Africa.
But Gilani’s success is measured in more than trucks or numbers. “Some of our staff have been with us for 30 or 40 years. When I look at them, I see family,” Faiz says. Through the family’s charity, SCANN (Street Children’s Network of Nakuru), Gilani’s has provided over a million meals and supported children through school and university, proving that growth is most powerful when shared.
“Growth doesn’t happen alone,” Faiz reflects. “Having Stanbic Bank by our side has meant more than financing, it’s meant having a partner who understands us.”
Gilani’s is living proof that when possibility becomes purpose, family businesses become national leaders and legacy becomes a strategy for the future.
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