South African firm Distribution and Warehousing Network Ltd (Dawn) is set to join the scramble for Kenya’s booming building and construction industry with the opening of an outlet.

Dawn CEO Pieter van Niekerk in charge of International Cluster said the firm intends to enter the Kenyan market early next year with the opening of a shop that will sale its wide range of products targeted for the building and construction industry.

“We have successfully exported to Kenya from South Africa but now want to have a presence and inventory in Kenya to improve our market offering,” he said.

Dawn, which is listed in the Johannesburg Securities Exchange, manufactures and distributes hardware, sanitaryware, plumbing, kitchen, engineering and civil products through a national, strategically positioned distribution network in South Africa as well as in sub-Saharan African countries.

The firm has a portfolio of about 40 000 products sourced through more than 2 500 suppliers to over 12 000 customers in the building and infrastructure sectors.
Though the firm has mainly concentrated its operations within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region, it is now seeking to increase its footprints in the continent.

In Kenya, Dawn will be angling for a piece of the booming building and construction industry that is dominated with imported products from China, the Fast East and Europe.

According to the Kenya Economic Survey 2013, the building and construction sector recorded a growth of 4,8% in 2012 compared to a growth of 4,3% in 2011.
During the same period, the total value of private and public buildings completed increased by 9,6% to $570,7-million from $521,2-million while loans and advances to the sector increase by 36,2% to $777,4-million from $570-million.

“We intend to invest $1-million in a fully-fledged center because the growth in the building and construction industry is an attraction,” said Niekerk.
Dawn joins Broll, a South African property management firm, which also opened shop in East Africa’s biggest economy in August.