Bambi’s Grocery

Bambis was founded in Addis Ababa by Charalambos Bambis Tsimas, a Greek national, and run by him for 67 years, becoming known among residents as the most reliably stocked grocery in the city, particularly for imported goods used by expatriate and diplomatic households. By 2017 and 2018 the business was struggling with Ethiopia's foreign-currency shortages, which restricted its ability to import, alongside disputes with food-safety regulators and a large historic tax claim. The original premises near Urael Church in Kirkos sub-city were taken over by Belayab Group, an Ethiopian conglomerate, and reopened in 2020 under the co-branded name Bambis Supermarket-Lewis Retails. The rebranded shop carries a broader mix of imported goods, locally made groceries and department-store lines than the original, more specialist store, and a second branch has since opened in the Lebu area of Nefas Silk. Both continue to trade, though under different ownership and with a wider range than the shop that carried the name for most of its history.