The Nation Newspaper

Category: Shopping

  • Omo introduces new pack for more market penetration

    It was excitement all the way in Abuja as Unilever Nigeria Plc was in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to formally introduce the new 100 gram pack of its Omo Fast Action detergent to residents.

    The Omo entourage led by popular actor and Omo brand ambassador, Ali Nuhu made door to door stops at the Nyanya, Mararaba, Lugbe, Kubwa, Kuje and Gwagwalada areas of the city where he handed out complimentary packs to families while informing them of the improved qualities.

    According to Nuhu, Omo has been a leading brand for decades and people have come to trust it for the effective cleaning power and ability to handle tough stains on laundry. He explained that the new 100 gram pack was being launched to make the product more affordable and accessible to a larger section of the consuming public.

    Assuring on the quality, he said: ”It is the same Omo with superior stain removing power in more affordable pack and it only costs N50,” adding that there is no better alternative in the market today.

    Mrs. Abibatu Jimoh, one of the spectators, who also took part in the demo wash, expressed her satisfaction with the detergent, saying: “My experience today with Omo has further strengthened my resolve to remain loyal to the brand.”

    Hadiza Joseph a mother of three who received a complimentary pack lauded the brand for such an initiative. “We used to use Omo in my father’s house while growing up but when I got married, we started trying other detergents available in the market. Today, after trying this new Fast Action, I am more than convinced that it is the best out there! This visit by Ali Nuhu and the team has helped me find my way back to Omo,” she said.

  • Luggage: Best choice for travellers

    Luggage: Best choice for travellers

    Travelling at week ends is like a norm, not only by Nigerians but by people all over the world. To schedule long and short distance journey, the luggage is said to be most convenient. Luggage happen to be the most important item in the shopping list of travellers in preparation for a journey. Travel bags generally have revolutionised over the years as civilisation has firmly rooted itself in the country. Before civilisation, wrappers from cloth materials were used as bags to carry personal belongings when embarking on a journey, after which the leather travel bag was introduced.

    Years later, the popular ‘Ghana-must-go’ bag was introduced in the 80’s when Ghanian immigrants were sent back to their country. In the heat of the moment, they made use of big sack bags (popularly known as ‘Ghana-must-go’) to pack their belongings, thereby creating a trend Nigerians came to accept and use as their travel bags. It was later improved on to appear in different patterns, designs and sizes till date.

    A luggage retailer simply known as Favour own a shop in Oshodi called  Nwaya   she said: “Luggage are more sophiticated, stronger and in vouge compare to Ghana-must-go’ bags ”.

    Mr Ayo Coker, a staff of Samuel Adegboyega University (S.A.U.) said, “I prefer sophisticated luggage to ‘Ghana-must-go’ because I feel they are more secure and compact, particularly, the medium sized luggage for my long distance journey”.

    Females,who are known to have a lot of personal belongings, constitute the larger percentage of customers in the luggage business because it is fashionable, comes in different colours and has enough space making it the most preferred’.  Another retailer,Tochukwu, a seller of luggage told the Nation Shopping that luggage sell more because of their durability.

    “I have more female customers” , “My customers prefer luggage to ‘Ghana-must-go’ bags because it is fine and durable”, he said.

    Unisex luggage are also available, thereby accommodating the male counterparts  in its demand. Children are also not left out as luggage are also designed with cartoon heroes. Also, some distinctive qualities are an additional advantage to attract target customer.

    Apart from its durability, de sign, convenience and space, it  is also affordable. The prices  vary based on their sizes and quality. A small size luggage cost  N2500, the medium size costs N4000, N3000, N2500  while the big sizes sell for  N6500 and N6000.

    Luggage are widely distributed in the country and can be  easily bought from  neighbourhood stores around. The internet is another easier platform to purchase any luggage of choice.

  • Angst over car park charges

    Angst over car park charges

    Shoppers are becoming uncomfortable with charges they pay for parking cars in malls. They have described such charges as needless. TONIA ‘DIYAN reports

    One after the other, they hopped into their cars, amid complaints. This is crazy.

    Oh ! Owners of malls are taking undue advantage of us, by  collecting car park charges from us. Why must we pay for parking space in malls  where we shop regularly for our personal and corporate needs? asked some of the shoppers as they drove out of Ikeja City Mall in Alausa, Lagos State.

    Neither did they return greetings from the security men, who waved to them probably to collect money from them, nor offer some smiles.

    Indeed, they wore a sad look, suggesting that they are not happy with the charges imposed on them by management of various malls  in the state.

    The above summed up the frustrations of shoppers in malls located within the Lagos metropolis. Be it malls in Ikeja, Lekki, Surulere, and other areas in Lagos, it is the same story.

    Being the nation’s commercial nerve centrres, Lagos has witnessing  a flurry of activities  which include buying and selling of mercandise, online payment for goods and services, delivery of products at the doorsteps of people who have paid for them among others. It was therefore not suprising to see people, especially the high fliers in the society going for shopping to satisfy their urge for classic materials.

    Across the various malls visited by The Nation Shopping, in the state,  shoppers are quick to  express their disappointments over what they termed illegal parking charges levelled on them by malls’ owners.  To this group of people,  the charges was a tool used by the management of malls to extort money from them.

    Bade Suleiman, a shopper at Leisure Mall, Suruelere in Lagos  Mainland,  said he was not comfortable with the ways they were being charged for parking space in malls.

    He said he was paying N200 per hour for using the car space provided by the management of the mall.

    Hear him:  ‘’ I  do not  understand the  rationale behind the N200  we  ( the shoppers)  are being charged for using car space in thee mall. I have been shopping in the mall for long, and my car has never been stolen either or outside the mall. It is with this mindset I go to malls in Lagos and beyond. Whether I’m shopping spree or not, I always believe that my car is safe.Why must I pay N200 for using the car space provided in the mall since they are making money from me? He asked.

    Another shopper,  who identifed herself as Brahiyat Haruna, said it was wrong for owners of malls to charge them for using their car parks.

    He said paying for car space  in the malls does not guarantee the safety of his car. While some shoppers are frowning at the charges, few others said there was nothing wrong with the levy imposed on them for using car space.

    Aremu Ayo, a shopper, said it is not right to pay for a car space in a mall where he buys goods and further  helps them to improve on their business.

    He said he goes to malls to buy their products, and therefore, should not be made to pay for parking space.

    ‘’ Sometimes, shoppers buy products at a far higher prices due to taxes and other government’ levies.  Yet, are made to pay for car park. This is not good enough.

    While this lasted, some people said there was nothing wrong in asking shoppers to pay for car space in malls.

    Nurudeen Babatunde is one of such people. A middle aged man from Lagos, Babatunde said there was nothing wrong in the charges which shoppers pay for using car  parks within the malls.

    He  said there was nothing wrong in shoppers paying for parking space within the  malls.

    “After all, it costs only N200 to park a car at the mall, I think the charges are moderate.A shopper can only be asked to pay more charges if or she spend more than an hour  in the mall..”

    According to him, if people can  spend thousands of naira to buy goods in the malls,  payment for car space of N200 per hour should not be a problem to them since they are paying for the safety of their cars.

    He urged people not to stay too long in the malls to avoid being charged huge amount of money for using their car parks.

    ‘’I do not see the need to spend more than an hour in a mall. If we  do not want  to pay highly for car park, then the best thing for shoppers to do is conduct their transactions as quickly as possible.’’ he added.

    According to  mall administrators in Lagos,who spoke to The Nation, on condition of annoymity,  there is need for shoppers to pay charges for using car park in the malls when one considers the problems they create for other users of the malls.

    He said: ‘’For instance, parking spaces are congested, making it difficult for other shoppers to enter in order to conduct transactions. On a good day, we accommodate 1000 cars because the land is almost two plots. Some park for three or four hours, while it is just 15 minutes for others. The N200 fee we charge is, however, for single entry. Once you drive out, you will have to pay again if you have any reason to come in.”

    Sander Norman, a Manager in Ikeja City Mall, said: “If malls do not  charge for parking, people would take undue advantage of them, by leaving their vehicles for hours.  If people  can drive to Victoria Island to buy  goods, and pay about N200 as toll gate fee, they should be able to do the same here,” he said.

    It would be recalled that a mall was closed in Lagos in 2012 when shoppers protested  the payment for car parking. Will another mall(s) be shut against for the same reason?

    Time will tell.

  • ‘Gidimall will be an online trading hub in Africa

    ‘Gidimall will be an online trading hub in Africa

    www.gidimall.com is one of Nigeria’s fastest growing Online Retail store with primary focus on customer satisfaction, genuine products. It delivers a shopping experience that a shopper would ordinarily enjoy when he goes to a shopping mall. In this interview with TONIA ‘DIYAN, the mall’s Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Osamede Evbakhavbokun, speaks on the mall’s features and its plan to become the hub for online shopping across Africa. Excerpts:

    Gidimall.com! What is this concept all about and why have you come into the Nigerian market?

    www.gidimall.com is an e-commerce platform where a peron can shop for a wide variety of products and services. On this platform, such a person is also allowed to list his products for sale and sell to millions of Nigerians online, as well as earn an additional source of income when he joins our GTeam programme (www.gidimall.com/gteam). All he needs to do is refer a buyer and manage that relationship for constant purchases from gidimall.com and he earns an income every time he shops on gidimall.com.

    It is a platform where buyers, sellers and offline sales partners meet to offer value to each other.

    We have been in business since October 2012 and over the years have spent time evolving the platform and user experience while putting in place, structures and framework for scalable growth. What has been key for us is consistent customer experience and this has kept us in business.

    What additional values do you bring to shoppers?

    Just like any other e-commerce marketplace, we offer a platform to buy and sell. We do not just provide you with technology, we work closely with you, support you to grow your business as a seller, and ensure the best experience for every buyer.For buyers, we offer Next day delivery within selected cities or money back guarantee plus several flexible terms of delivery allowing you select that which suits you. Payment on delivery nation-wide plus flexible returns policies are also available.

    ForRetailers (B2C) & Wholesalers (B2B), we provide a robust and reliable, easy –to-use, cloud based technology platform to whoever wants to  sell via desktop and mobile channels from anywhere in Nigeria.

    What is your unique selling point that you feel will keep your clients coming back to you?

    Great offers and discounts for online shoppers. We have a very robust reward system that offers buyers unique opportunities. This include  offerring our buyers added value by making our ‘pick – up and drop – off to Service Centers’ free for all customers in Lagos.  We understand that Lagos is a busy place and not everyone can make out time to go to Service Centers if their appliances need servicing.  With the understanding of this challenge, we provide this service free to all customers who purchase any appliance under warranty from us for the first 12 months.  To enjoy this service, all a client need to do is to simply give us a call and send us his order number and we will come pick it up from anywhere in Lagos and drop it off at the Service Center for him, free! For a token fee, we will also pick up the appliance from the Service Center and deliver to your location outside Lagos.  For us, this is a key differentiation since it shows that we care for our customers and strive to maintain a relationship with them, even after they have concluded their transaction with us. For example, you get a discount voucher when they register as a customer on Gidimall.com. And when you place an order and it is fulfilled, you  get an instant discount for your next order. You also get further discount by referring friends to the site. We also encourage our customers to leave reviews for further discounts. This is true value for shoppers!

     So far, what challenges have you faced?

    We have faced challenges like that of inventory Management: This is the same with most eCommerce stores in Nigeria. The  Issue of out of stock is a recurring decimal in our e-Commerce space with sellers not sending in frequent updates on their stock position. This has been a huge challenge and we have been able to manage this through the launch of our vendor portal which sellers can use as an inventory management tool for their brick and mortar stores and also use that same channel in expanding their business to sell online to millions of Nigerians. We also now offer API integration for large organizations

    What are some of the benefits of online market places like gidimall.com?

    For most market analysts, key benefits of online marketplaces can be seen from 2 main angles – the perspective of the buyer and that of the online seller. At gidimall.com however, we see it from 3 perspectives – buyers, online sellers and offline sellers who take part in our gteam program.

    Online shoppers are no longer limited by time and space. They can shop for favourite items anytime and anywhere in Nigeria using their computers or smartphones. No long queues, less stress.

    There is a wider catalogue selection where buyers have an opportunity to browse through a wide variety of products in a few minutes. This when compared to having the task done by visiting physical stores would have been practically impossible or take them weeks to have same done. I must say online shopping is cheaper than buying in person if you are dealing with the right store like gidimall.com!

    Sellers Saves time and cost –Marketplaces have drastically reduced the time and cost it takes to set up a businesses. With our portal, sellers can list their products in minutes to have an opportunity to sell to millions of Nigerians via our portal at no set up cost.

    Fulfilment: Managing fulfilment which is a huge task is one of the main reason why most brick and mortar stores do not go online. Using our shared infrastructure and working with our logistics partners, seller have the opportunity to manage their shipping like never before. They can decide to ship items themselves, use any of our courier companies to ship nation – wide or have gidimall.com handle delivery for them (within Lagos).

    Job creation for Sales Consultants:Because we have built an ecosystem, we have offline sales consultants who help drive sales for our sellers for a commission which we manage. Engaging these sales consultants have created a massive job creation window like never before and it is open to as many sales partners as possible. Interested candidates can join our team of successful sales partners by sending their resume to gteam@gidimall.com.

    What is your vision for the next few years?

    The vision is clear. To become a global brand and an engine of trade in Africa.

    How do you help entrepreneurs sell their products on your platform?

    To help entrepreneurs sell their products on our platform, sellers must first create those products online by visitingwww.gidimall.com/sell. This is as easy as A.B.C plus we provide excellent support. Once done, they begin to receive orders. Once there is a sale, all they have to do is to have the item packaged and to drop it off at the nearest drop off location of our partner courier companies and the item is shipped. This can be done from anywhere in Nigeria and details of our partner courier companies, pricing and address can be found in our Seller Portal.

    What do you stand to gain bringing buyers and sellers together?

    We charge areferral commission for completed sales made on the platform of which a large chunk of this commission is also used to empower our sales consultants who help drive offline sales and as such drive the success of our partners. This is what we can call a win – win for all stakeholders.

    Who are the selected Nigerian businesses that are allowed to put their products for sale on your website?

    All kinds of businesses are invited. Big, small, individual sellers of products and services etc. There are almost no limits to the kind of products we list and sell. However, there are some products we do not sell. A detailed list of businesses that we do not list can be found in our terms and conditions section of our website which can also be found during seller registration. Businesses we cannot list are usually those dealing in highly regulated, items e.g.  Fire arms, drugs etc.

    How have you been able to build that trust for your kind of business?

    Simple. We deliver and we stand behind our brand. This has earned us the trust of our customers over the years. Our initial customer base were bank staff and the fact that we remain consistent and constantly surpass expectations is why we have been in business despite stiff competition.

    You stated on your site that you ‘give out great offers’, how regular are these offers/deals?

    Our discounts are all year round and this is aside discounts and campaigns organized by us in partnership with our sellers. Some of these regular discounts include:

    instant N1,000 discount voucher when you register as a customer on gidimall.com, instant discount for your next order when you complete an order and it is fulfilled satisfactorily, further discount when you refer friends and

    • After enjoying your product, you are encouraged to leave a review to get further discount.

    Is there anything else you would like to talk about?

    www.gidimall.com has just launched her Seller Portal where sellers of great products in Nigeria can grow their business by selling to millions of Nigerians every day, as well as take advantage of the unique features the portal has to offer. The platform can be used for inventory management, order and fulfilment, for both online and offline sales etc. With gidimall.com, the opportunities are endless. Start shopping and selling in minutes.

  • Attitude to work

    This is a column that promises to discuss, mould and shape societal values.

    It seeks to protect the interests of consumers, citizens and other broader relevant topics, such as decadence of educational systems, unemployable job seekers, trading ethics et al under the column: ‘TRUE VALUE 360’. It is an interactive column as suggestions, complaints; daily experiences are welcome.

    This week’s edition is Attitude to work.

    The attitude of our people to work is below international standard. Workers seek any opportunity to shirk their duties and responsibilities, yet want their pay without earning it. This is possible because of the past Nigerian problem of unaccountability and lack of or improper enforcement of law. But I say CHANGE is here. No matter how mockers or charlatans decide to misuse the word Change.

    Unaccountable means: Impossible to account for, free from accountability, not responsible.

    Who and who have been unaccountable in our clime? Which set of people have the wrong attitude to work? That an employee who gets to work late, sleeps on the table and who is absent at work for no tangible reason?

    That public servant who lays bad examples to subordinates by turning the office to private entertainment centre during working hours; that public servant who does not know anything about work load and target etc. and does nothing day in, day out.

    Wrong attitude to work persists because these personnel are allowed to get away with laxity. The same people go abroad and obey all the rules because they will not keep their jobs if they misbehave and in the long run, they will starve or get thrown out of their apartments for non-payment.

    It is obvious that Nigeria and Nigerians are undergoing a re-orientation as it is obvious that lack of discipline and accountability to basic rules have pushed the economy to a groaning level.

    If a driver keeps coming late and the principal misses serious appointments, there is no justification for the driver to get paid. If he persists, he should be fired. A non-challant worker if allowed to get away with the attitude will contaminate other responsible personnel. He/she should be relieved of the duties.

    Same goes for public servants and political appointees who do not live up to their responsibilities.

    As long as we allow unaccountability, irresponsibility and impunity to thrive, the workforce and the various institutions will collapse.

    My take: There should be a confidential methodology where erring and lazy staff can be reported unanimously to an independent inspector or even the chief executive. And appropriate punishment should then be meted out.

  • Wines of South Africa celebrates Nelson Mandela Day in Lagos

    Wines of South Africa celebrates Nelson Mandela Day in Lagos

    Trade businesses and wine enthusiasts gathered to savour great tasting wines at the Wines of South Africa Grand Tasting event held to commemorate Nelson Mandela Day at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The event afforded guests the opportunity to enjoy new wine releases, lively music and a feast of finger-licking canapés, while networking and meeting with people of great minds. The experience was comparable to any wine tasting event in the world. The tasting event is a prelude to the Cape Wines showcase and fair in Cape Town, South Africa later in the year.

    The Wines of South Africa Grand Tasting,now in its third edition was in partnership with Spronks Creation Limited; organisers of Nigeria International Wine and Spirit Fair (NIWSF). It aimed to showcase quality wines from over wine producers and over 200 wine brands from different regions in the Cape Wineland of South Africa. The event brought more than 20 wine producers from South Africa to Nigeria to interact with consumers, distributors and wholesalers as well as people in the hospitality and tourism industry.

    This year’s event started with a professional wine course training session led by Wine Advisor, Brad Coetzer, from renowned education company ‘Under the Influence’ in partnership with Beverage Intelligence.  The course which came with a professional certificate was opened to trade businesses such as hospitality and tourism operators like restaurants, pubs, lounges and food and beverages managers,portfolio managers, gourmet and a business-to-business session with wine distributors and wholesalers.

    Speaking at the event, South African Consul-General in Nigeria, Ambassador MokgethiMonaisa, remarked that, “This is indeed a great day and we are happy to celebrate Nelson Mandela this way. Today is his birthday. Remember that when he died he was 95 years old. So he would have been 97 years today. For the past four years, we’ve brought Wines of South Africa to Nigeria. I have been here for four years; I hope you will remember me as the man who brought WOSA to Nigeria. WOSA has made us proud. This is a clear message from South Africa that our agro industries are real alive. We don’t only produce vegetables and end there but our industry is so advanced that we do produce wines. And we do compete with the greatest in the world.”

    “Today we are celebrating Nelson Mandela. Since 2010, the United Nations declared this day an international Nelson Mandela Day. They also called upon everybody in the world; individual, companies and organisations to spend 67minutes of their time on this particular day to acknowledge the 67years that Nelson Mandela spent fighting for the right of the people. And indeed, we have been spending today in history; all of us we have done something for 67minutes. Now this particular 67minutes we lived to drink wine. Let’s drink to that”, he enthused.

    Wines of South Africa (WOSA) represents all South African wine producers who export their products. WOSA, was established in its current form in 1999, has over 500 producers on its database, comprising all the major South African wine exporters. It is constituted as a not-for-profit company and is totally independent of any producer or wholesaling company. It is also independent of any government department, although it is recognised by government as an Export Council.

    WOSA’s mandate is to promote the export of all South African wines in key international markets. Traditional markets include the United Kingdom, Germany Sweden and the Netherlands. More recently, WOSA has also been developing markets for South African wines in the United States, Canada, Russia, and Asia. WOSA is funded by a levy per litre on all bottled natural and sparkling wines exported.

  • Sales boom as Ramadan fast ends

    Sales boom as Ramadan fast ends

    As the Muslim fasting ends today, signalling the end of Ramadan and heralding the beginning of Eid-el–fitri celebrations, traders in major markets  across  Lagos metropolis are upbeat over prospects of increased patronage.

    Having experienced reduced sales because of lull in customer patronage occasioned by the Ramadan fast, traders are hopeful of increased activities in preparation for Eid-El –Fitri celebrations. The event comes up yearly at the end of the Muslim fast.

    At Idumota, Mile-12, Oyingbo,Oshodi among other markets in Lagos, traders are pleased with what they call “the Eid-El –Fitri rush” as they get helping hands from their children and relatives so as to cope with the rush.

  • Nurofen painkiller launched in Nigeria

    Nurofen, the world’s number one pain relief brand from the stable of RB Nigeria Limited, has been launched into the Nigerian market with its unique proposition of being able to work at the site of pains as well as offer instant relief.

    The Nurofen brand formulations are for both children and adults. Nurofen for Children is a liquid suspension that works for child’s pain and fever. It comes in two flavours; Orange and Strawberry, reduces fever in 15 minutes and provides continuous relief for up to eight hours after. This is more superior than Paracetamol’s efficacy.

    For adults, Nurofen is in caplets of 200mg that provides relief from fever as well as work for several types of pains by targeting pain at its source. Nurofen is more effective than Paracetamol for treatment of headache, back pain, dental pain, sore throat and so.

    Nurofen for adults is an over-the-counter (OTC) drug  targeted at providing relief from pains, helping with fever and reducing inflammation; while that for children is formulated to provide effective relief from pains and fever for babies as young as three months (and weighing over 5kg) to 12 years old.

    The new product launch, enjoyed the presence of a large number of  international and national health experts alongside key leaders of various medical associations in Nigeria; all affirming the efficacy of the Nurofen brand.

    Speaking at the launch, General Manager, RB West Africa, Mr. Rahul Murgai, said the development of Nurofen speaks to the positioning of the company as one that puts priority on providing innovative solutions to Nigerians to make life easier and healthier for them.

    “Our vision is a world where people are healthier and happier; our purpose is to make a difference by providing Nigerians with innovation solutions to ensure they lead healthier lives in happier homes”, he said.

    While stressing the significance of Nurofen’s launch into the Nigerian market, he stated that the product was intended to help Nigerians overcome body pains, fever and flu .

    While comparing Ibuprofen with Paracetamol, , Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Eastern Finland, Prof. HannuKokki noted that Ibuprofen the active agent of Nurofen is superior to paracetamol while it is equally mild on the stomach”

    Category Manager, Nurofen, Qaiser Rashid said the launch of Nurofen is to empower Nigerians to continue to live active lives, stating that the product has been acclaimed to be the number one pain killer in every market where it has been launched, and that it works twice faster than the regular analgesic.

  • What is Consumer Strategy?

    This is a column that promises to discuss, mould and shape societal values, seeks to protect the interests of consumers, citizens and other broader relevant topics, such as decadence of educational systems, unemployable job seekers, trading ethics et al under the column, ‘TRUE VALUE 360’. It is an interactive column as suggestions, complaints; day to day experiences are welcome.

    This week’s edition is Consumer Strategy:

    It is the psychology of why customers would select one brand over another. Consumer strategy looks at the consumer’s environment and how that may be an influence. It also looks at how customers behave when shopping and making shopping decisions. In our environment where consumers have not been protected in the past decades; and the drive to make sales override consumers satisfaction, consumer behavior will likely be influenced by other factors such as scale of preference and product positioning. For example, storeowners, just by changing where a product is positioned in the store will attract more sales.

    Consumer strategy uses market research tools. The goal is to give consumers what they want, not what brands think they want, this is where research comes in.

    Research is distinguished between primary and secondary research. Primary research is research that the marketing team designs and conducts. The Pepsi Challenge was an example of primary research. Marketers were trying to find out if consumers preferred sweeter drinks like Pepsi to tarter drinks like Coke. Secondary research is using research what already exists, such as how many elderly people live in a certain area. That information is available already; a serious research marketer just needs to gain access to it.

    As consumers, what will make us stick to a brand more than its competitors? What will make us loyal to a brand?

    Good Quality

    Accessibility

    Reward for loyalty

    Compensation for damage or poor quality

    Affordability as in value for money

    Incentives, such as regular promos

    Unfortunately, our local brands never compensate for damage or poor quality and we still get charged for it. What can we do? Ideally, reports with evidence should be made to the appropriate regulatory body, but like we know, the regulatory bodies have been slack so far.

    But with the new wind of change, it’s time to challenge even the regulatory bodies to task and demand performance and citizen’s protection.

     

    Are we helpless? Only if we want to be. What to do? Avoid misleading brands, keep evidence and spread the word to friends and family till we perceive a positive change. You may go further by sending a mail of your complaint to us with evidence. Let us tackle brands who trample on us together. See you next week.

  • Evron Food launches ‘fastest delivery’ online food store

    Evron Food launches ‘fastest delivery’ online food store

    Set to reinvent the online food shopping experience for Nigerians, Evron Food Store has launched its online food store called www.evronfoodstore.com. The online store guarantees deliveries of goods within three hours of order placement and checkout. Customers who do not get their orders delivered to them three hours after placing an order automatically gets compensated with a 10 percent discount.

    The online food market offers a wide variety of food products and farm crops using a highly interactive and innovative platform that allows customers to shop for almost any food item they can think of in the food store. A customer can simply click on the ‘Afang Soup Bundle’ and all the ingredients for Afang soup will be selected, packaged and dispatched immediately upon checkout.

    According to the owners of the store, shopping via Evron Food Store guarantees that valuable time that could be spent bonding with family members, or simply resting after a hectic week, is duly enjoyed. No more need to endure the rigours of navigating dozens of stores at the conventional open market, or after hours of traffic.

    As part of its launch, Evron Food Store has also announced its #MyFirstOrder Campaign where customers can simply take a picture of their delivered food items, share, mention and follow@evronfoodstore on twitter, Instagram and Facebook. They can use the #My1stOrder #MarketCameHomefor a chance to win a free shopping voucher. Evron Food Store also has a physical walk-in store/office which is open to customers situated in Chevron Drive, Lekki Lagos.

    Speaking at the formal launch of the store, the Marketing Manager, Ijeoma Olujekun noted: “At Evron Food Store, we are committed to creating a vibrant, convenient way for people to buy food produce online and increasingly turn this into delightful and more satisfying for the customers. We understand the need for Nigerians to purchase food quickly, conveniently and have sought to simplify the process of buying food, making it just a click away”.

    In her address, the Managing Director, Funmi Farotimi noted that in seeking to ensure high quality standards for items sold at the store, Evron Food Store wishes to know and influence how the food seed are grown.

    Her words, “We are passionate about great tasting food in its purest state. That is why quality standards for food prohibit leafy vegetables grown with chemical fertilizers. We base our decisions not just on food chemistry, but also on ideology, philosophy, proper labelling and critical evaluation of the promise we’ve made to our customers, which is freshness, always. We take our responsibility seriously, knowing that our standards not only determine what goes on our shelves, but they also influence the way that food is grown and processed”.

    “Evron food store is making life easier for the everyday shopper without looting or exploiting them. Our intention is that our prices must never be higher than what can be obtained from any of the local market around.”