The Nation Newspaper

Category: Shopping

  • Second-hand goods, most preferred, says report

    Second-hand goods, most preferred, says report

    Second hand goods are the most pre-ferred, according to a survey by The Nation.

    Our correspondent found that the demand for fairly used items, such as cars, phones, electronics, bags, shoes and cloths is high. It also found that some online stores also sell second hand goods such as cars, phones and electronics, thereby making the business  thriving in the market.

    Iyana Ipaja market and Ikeja in Lagos stock various items and sales, particularly cloths, bags and phones.

    One of the sellers, Mr. Frank Chukwuma, said the turnout of buyers was encouraging “Business is good and the turnout is high, especially in the evenings when people are returning home from work. More people patronise this business because it is affordable, when they don’t have money for the new items, they opt for fairly used,” he said.

    Mrs  Bunmi Kayode sells second hand cloths for women, she said the business is  booming. “Our prices are cheaper than the boutique where one is likely to buy a blouse for N1, 500; the same blouse is N300 here,’’ she added.

    Kehinde Suleiman, who sells London used phones and laptops at the Computer Village in Ikeja, said the reason people buy London used phone was because they trust fairly used phones compared to the new phones from China, which don’t have long life span. We give our customer warranty and ask them to return phones that develop fault after purchase for replacement.”

    Wahab Lawal,  who owns a second hand phone, said he uses second hand phones because they are cheaper and more reliable. “The reason I go for the second hand phones is because of the cost. I don’t have enough money to buy the brand new ones.”

    Also, Henry Ntuka, said he prefers  second hand phones because they are affordable.

    But Miss Tayo has a different reason for going for Tokunbo clothes. Her words: “I just like these second hand clothes not that I can’t afford the new ones, but because I just feel like buying them.”

    For Mrs. Marian Afolabi, it is  affordability: “I buy second hand clothes for my children because it’s cheap and affordable in this way I can buy more for them compared   to the brand new ones,” she said.

    On the risks involved in buying the second hand phones, Ntuka lamented: “The new ones break down anytime; so, it’s all about taking risks. When it’s good, its’ good; if it’s not, that is it.”

  • ‘Falling naira affecting sales’

    ‘Falling naira affecting sales’

    Traders at the Balogun market in Lagos Island selling Italian and Brazilian shoes, bags and other fashion items, say they are not making sales as a result of the exchange rate. At the moment, it is $1 to N199.2351.

    Many of these traders import their items from Europe. Recounting their ordeal, majority of them said some of their goods are still abroad as the previous price they purchased those goods have increased by 10 per cent.

    According to them, the high exchange rate is hindering them from bringing their goods into the country. These merchants explained that they often place orders, change the currency to the Dollar and send to the company they are purchasing from but the increment in exchange rate has become a barrier.

    One of the traders, Mr Ikechukwu Ugwu, said he imports office shoes, particularly in the second quarter of the year, but that he would have to wait a while to see if the rate dollar would fall. “If I import shoes and start selling at N13, 000 or N15, 000, my customers will refuse to buy because the original price for the shoes is N8000 or N10, 000. The additional N7000 and N4000 mean a lot to customers and I will not sell to lose either,” he said.

    Another importer Mr. Kenneth Okoye, an importer of cosmetics, said he could not put all his money in the business and later not yield good results. “How can I change money at such a ridiculous rate? I can’t risk it. Because this our business comes with little profit like N50, sometime with N200. Our customers who buy in bulk earn us more profit but for now they are not showing up because of the increased exchange rate. Bringing the goods in and not selling them will be a big problem to us, our customers are used to the old price, and they won’t accept the new price. We have however agreed that we will not import until the dollar rate returns to what it used to be,” he added.

    Another importer of Italian party wears, shoes and bags Mr. Emeka Urama told The Nation Shopping that he didn’t intend to import soon. He said his customers would have to make do with what was available. He said items or designs and a set of jewelry which used to cost N20, 000, will go for N25, 000 while those that cost N30, 000 would rise to about N40,000.”

    He added that the increase in exchange rate has affected demand.”Some of my customers that come from Abuja and Port Harcout to patronise me used to buy about 50 to70 different sets of jewelries. Now, they buy 30 or 35 different sets instead and this is not good for the business, he said.  

  • Food prices soar as Ramadan begins

    Food prices soar as Ramadan begins

    The holy month of Ramadan is here once again. Muslim faithful across the world will observe the fasting period. To prepare adequately for this holy month, they are expected to visit the market to stock their homes with staple food items. Many of them will, however, be constrained by the sharp increase in the general prices of goods and shortage of others, TONIA ‘DIYAN reports

    The last one month has seen prices of staple food items in Lagos markets go up, particularly tomatoes and pepper which have become significantly out of stock since traders finished selling their old stock. The scarcity and hike in the price of staple foods, farmers from the north says can be attributed to high cost of transportation occasioned by the lingering fuel scarcity and off season period for perishable food items.

    Visits to some major markets in Lagos where these items are sold in large quantities showed that prices of items such as tomatoes, pepper, chilli pepper and others have moved up sharply without any likelihood of coming down any time soon.

    At the popular Mile 12 and Mushin Markets, a big basket of tomatoes, which used to sell for N15, 000 now sells for N30, 000. A medium-size basket of fresh pepper (tatashe) now costs N12, 000 from N11, 000. A basket of chili pepper (rodo) now goes for N20, 000.00 against the N13, 000. The price of a jute bag of onions also increased from N7, 500 last week to N8, 000.  A 20-litre keg of vegetable oil goes for N6, 300 against N6, 200, while a measurement of garri (known as Kongo in local parlance) still remains at N300. The various brands of 50-kilogramme bag of rice range from N7, 000 to N12, 000. A 120-kilogramme bag of beans costs N26, 000 from N24, 500 it was sold before.  A tuber of yam is now N600 as against N400 it was a few weeks ago.

    At Daleko Market, a 25kg brand of Mama Gold rice goes for N5,000, 50kg-N10,00, Royal Stallion N7,800  Elephant Gold-N7,500 and Union Stallion-N7,500.

    Commenting on this development, the  leader of the tomato depot at Mile 12 Market, Mr. Muhammed Shittu, blamed the increase in prices on the rainy season and attack of insects.

    He said:  “The rain is at its peak now and its hindering the growth of tomatoes. Even when it eventually grows, it would be eaten up by insects and would not be suitable for consumption.”

    Spokesman for Mile 12 Traders Association, Mr Femi Odusanya, urged the Federal Government to invest more in the agriculture sector by establishing mechanised farms. “Government needs to invest more in mechanised farming because most of the food items in the markets are cultivated by peasant farmers. Most of these farmers have just little farm lands and lack the resources for large plantation. Mechanised farming will make farm produce to be available in large quantities, even during off-seasons while prices will not be this high.

    “Until the government does the right thing by shifting attention to agriculture, the citizens will continue to groan under the pressure of costly food items.”

    Alhaji Mohammed Tijani, a beans seller, attributed the high price of beans to ongoing planting season and increased demand for the Ramadan.

    “Price of beans keeps increasing because of its high demand beacuse of the Ramadan period. A lot of families are purchasing it for the purpose of making ‘moi-moi’ or akara’’ after breaking their fast in the evening. More so, there is reduced supply of beans to the market because farmers are not harvesting but planting now.”

  • Why we held exhibition, by built environment exhibitors

    Organisers of a built environment exhibition with theme ‘Unique Beyond Borders’held in Lagos said it was aimed at helping professionals perfect their art.

    The exhibition, which lasted for three days, had some important dignitaries, such as Mrs. Debola Majekodumi the vision founder, Mrs. Folake Onabolu, the Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Civil Service who represented the state government.

    Welcoming the participants and the invited guests, the Chairman of the event, Chief Olu Falomo, explained the importance of Unique Interiors in Nigeria. He said the system has been in existence for more than 20 years but that the challenges of setting up something like this in Nigeria could be frustrating.

    “I want to particularly thank and admire Architect Debola Majekodumi who has being battling with this event year in year out for over 20 years. I admire her fighting spirit and perseverance for the success of the unique exhibition which has come to stay,” he said.

    Mrs. Onabolu said: “The timing of this exhibition is unique itself because it is coinciding with the inevitable changes that Lagos state and the Nation as a whole are witnessing because we have witnessed an atmosphere of change from the outgoing administration to the incoming administration and most of all, we have voted for change for the better and that is what the country has been yawning for. I know this exhibition will stand the test of time because it is the 12th edition and I hope it continues to be better.”

    The exhibition, which was declared opened by Mrs. Folake Onabolu, the Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Civil Service gave participants the opportunity to showcase their products. Exhibitors at the event were Dofas Technological Nigeria Ltd, Lange and Grant, Jiuhua Nigeria Company Ltd, Sandtex Intratex, Literior Light Fittings Interiors, Voda Paints, Margin Scribes Limited, Global Corp Ltd, among others.

    Debola Majekodumi, an architect, the vision founder of the exhibition said: “The interior design market is a growing market that can be improved on, but the exhibition is for the built environment which includes architecture, interior design, and Facility management, we are trying to make interior products and services more accessible to the Nigerian Public in order to help create awareness and publicity for exhibiting companies and educate the visitors on built environment service through the seminars and exhibition.”

    She added: “We are trying to create awareness platforms but some of the challenges we encounter is the issue of conveying and educating potential exhibitors on difference between exhibition and trade fairs or expo’s where sales are meant to be made at the point. The fuel crisis has been a challenge but I thank God that we were able to achieve a lot with this year’s exhibition.”

  • Boom time for electronic commerce

    The transition from brick-and-mortar businesses to “clicks” business is happening in all sectors of the economy. It is now possible for businesses to operate without a physical structure. Employers and employees can conduct all communication via mobile phone through either voice call, short message service (SMS) or email. The internet is a new frontier that has further facilitated the operation of virtual offices, TONIA ‘DIYAN reports.

    •Midnight online car searches increase

    A few years ago, the only way Bade Badejo could buy books was for him to go to a bookstore.  To purchase clothes meant a trip to the boutique. He traded in stocks through brokers only and bought cars visiting car marts, test-driving cars from one dealer to the other.

    Today, he has realised that businesses are coming to his doorstep. He has also realised that a number of companies and large warehouses have successfully managed to put up an electronic outlet to challenge traditional businesses.

    Badejo recently added a new member to his family and decided to purchase a bigger car. He works full time with his wife and two young kids at home, so going from dealer to dealer is not an option. Badejo, who joined the growing number of car buyers researching vehicles through the Carmudi app, an online vehicle marketplace last month, picked a Nissan Navara LE 2013 and quickly got in touch with a dealer in Abuja to set up a test drive. Within 48 hours, he bought his Navara LE for a competitive price.

    Late night car searches are a growing trend with more than 40 per cent of global car buyers now searching for cars – between 5pm and midnight. With ecommerce booming, and increasing use of mobile phones to make purchases online, how people buy major goods is shifting.

    Traditionally, consumers purchase cars after visiting several dealers and test drive dozens of vehicles. With the average car dealer closing by 6pm, car buyers are now able to save valuable time by researching car brands, and shopping for the best price from within the comfort of their own homes. From arranging test drives to applying for financing, majority of the purchasing cycle takes place online.

    Dealers continue to play a vital role in the process, particularly when it comes to test driving.

    With a staggering 80 per cent of new cars and almost 100 per cent of used cars, customers begin their car shopping experience online, enabling buyers to find their dream car at any hour of the day. This is according to a research conducted by Carmudi, an ideal platform to find cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles online. The research revealed that car buyers around the world and especially in Nigeria search for cars mostly late at night.

    According to the research also, car buying experience has remained stagnant for decades, but in the world of AMAZON and UBER, the car classified market is ripe for disruption, starting with the ability to find dream cars at midnight from the comfort of a couch. It is now easy to browse and search thousands of car listings on www. Carmudi.com.ng or download the Carmudi app.

    Another insight gleaned from the Carmudi data shows that car users are transitioning from searching for vehicles on a desktop, to using mobile apps, most notably in the evening hours.

    During working hours, only 15 per cent of consumers visit Carmudi via the mobile app, but from 6pm to midnight more than 55 per cent of visitors search for cars on their mobile app, as opposed to their computer.

    Generally, industries are moving all of their operations online, as it becomes clear that the Web, not constrained by geographic boundaries, is a more efficient vehicle for their services and allows them to work on a truly global scale. People are currently able to pay their bills, write and cash checks, trade stocks, take out loans, mortgage their homes and manage their assets online. Money as we know it may cease to exist, replaced by more convenient technologies such as smart cards and digital cash. Intelligent programmes will take care of the financial and logistical aspects of the interactions between both the individuals and the corporations who populate the Internet. All that a person needs to do shopping is a connection, a computer, and a digital form of payment.

    Traditional “brick and mortar” stores are already being replaced by a multitude of electronic store-fronts populating the Web. No single brick-and-mortar store can offer 50,000 products, but an online store has the capability to offer a limitless number of them. There are services for finding the best deal on items for consumers. An increasing amount of consumer information, such as consumers’ testimonies, product overviews, comparison charts, is being made available, leading to better deals for customers.

  • Firm launches new Japanese NGK plugs

    A firm, Asahi Brands Limited, a member of the Kewalram Chanrai Group, has launched the new NGK spark plugs in Nigeria.

    The plugs, made in Japan, will be distributed along with those made in NGK’s factory in Brazil.

    The group’s Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Victor Eburajolo, at a briefing to launch the Japanese brand, said Asahi would continue to distribute the full range of only genuine NGK plugsý through its six branches and authorised dealers

    “We’ll educate the public on how to identify genuine NGK plugs from fake ones. Asahi is associated with NGK from the last three decades and holds the number one position in the spark plug market.

    “Asahi will source for NGK plugs from all NGK factories, including Brazil and Japan, and ensure that only genuine ones are sold,” he said.

    Managing Director, NGK Spark Plug Middle East FZE, Mr. Hisataka Sato,  said the company offers the highest quality products for virtually every vehicle.

    According to him, a genuine NGK plug has a lifespan of between 40,000km to 100,000km depending on the type, all of which are available in Nigeria.

    “NGK is the world leader in spark plugs and known for its high quality and wide range of products. All plugs come direct from NGK plants and assure 100 per cent genuine supply,” he added.

    NGK’s Manager Yoji Kawanishi said the company, based in Nagoya, Japan, employs over 10,407 people and operates seven liaison offices, 12 sales offices, 13 production sites and two technical centres worldwide.

  • Apapa mall fetes Children

    Apapa mall fetes Children

    Apapa Shopping Mall, Park Lane, Apapa, Lagos has been wearing a new look in form of cartoon walls since Children’s Day. The mall has created a colourful fairyland and balloon castle to create a perfect ambience to celebrate the child, TONIA ‘DIYAN and EKEOWA PATIENCE report.

    The endorsement by parents and the elaborate preparations by shopping malls and fun centers are in sync with United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which about 60 years ago, recommended that all countries institute a universal children’s day to be observed as a day to celebrate children and draw attention to their problems. This was why Nigeria adopted May 27 of every year as its children’s day and has observed the day till date.

    At this year’s Children’s Day celebration, the tempo of activities in and around Apapa mall was very high, an indication that the celebration was exciting and rewarding to children, parents in Apapa and it environment, as well as owners of the mall. With May 27 being a school holiday, the management of the mall left nothing to chance to ensure that parents spent quality time with their kids and drove sales in the process.

    It was a fiesta of music and dance as the management of Apapa mall, Park lane Lagos hosted children for the first time since its existence in less than a year. They have looked forward to this day being their first big event for children, working closely with partners and tenant stores to give children a memorable experience to last a lifetime.

    The mall worked with some of its tenant stores to leverage on this period. It went one step further in ensuring it does not exclude working parents from sharing the special moment with their children.

    Apapa mall succeeded in creating an avenue for playing and learning. It was a children’s’ themed ambience where they were allowed to explore their creativity, dancing and playing. Kids went home with freebies packs, their faces painted and with handed balloons. It was really fun for them. There were also varieties of games to engage children throughout their stay at the mall. Children were well received by management and stores owners.

    Parents and guardians accompany their kids/wards to Apapa mall, taking advantage of a plethora of fun-filled activities for kids during this exciting period. While parents had good meals, kids participated in dancing and drawing competitions, and burnt their energy in the compartment dedicated to them.

    Before the deal day, the mall had promised a fun-filled celebration for children and their parents, as special celebrations were held for the kids such that they would always look forward to the annual event. Mr Celestine Jeremiah, Assistant General Manager Finance and Business Development, Top Services Limited, management of the mall said, kids who were at the mall were allowed to participate in different kinds of games.”This year’s Children’s Day is the first Apapa mall will hold in less than one year of its existence and we are happy it is successful. We made provisions for children to paint their faces, do photography, dance to music, perform choreography, mime to their favourite songs, recite poems, current affairs and so on,” Jeremiah said.

    Adding that children went home with gifts that will be useful to them at school. “The mall made available educational and motivational material for the children, provided children equipment like bouncy castle, train ride, merry-go-round, cho cho train ride for children to play with, popcorn, candy foss, face painting, dance competition, drawing competition, they were entertained by the ‘Era Of Legends’ and had favourite mascots entertain the children.”

    Azubuike Nwankwoala, Branch Manager Shoprite, Apapa said: “Shoprite loves children and have decided to partner with the mall management to host them today, as they are our leaders of tomorrow. We have supported this party with freebies to make this event a success. At Shoprite and Apapa mall, we know the importance of making every May 27 special for children and we intend to continue with this”.

    The man who lead the orphans from Hephzibah orphanage, Badagry , the orphanage officially invited to attend the party, Pastor Daniel Osagie  attested that the children enjoyed themselves “We came with 16 orphans who have all being entertained, our children enjoyed themselves and  participated in games provided for them by Apapa mall. At first, when we received an invitation from the mall to attend this children’s party, we were surprised. We were not asked to pay a dime for anything. This is very usual with shopping malls, many of them will ask you to buy from a store at the mall to enable you go home with gift prizes. Apapa mall didn’t exploit us, they made fun here today very enjoyable and we are grateful to the management of the mall, all the tenant stores who made these wonderful and colourful provisions, we are also grateful to God and pray to him to always lay it in the hearts of people like these to remember us always.

    Osagie advised parents and guardian, as she describes children as adorable; “Children are divine gifts that parents get from the almighty. Their eyes are full of innocence. They smile when they receive love and admiration; they cry when it is their first day at school away from their parents; they giggle when they mingle with their peers, and they signify nothing but pure and faithful love. They truly symbolize God, therefore, let us as parents, guardians and mothers play our roles on their special day.”

    She added that childhood memories are the sweetest of all; they can be savoured for a lifetime and that the celebration is fun for the little ones and important for parents too. “Every parent must understand the importance of Children’s Day. Parents should be well aware about the little desires of their angels” she advised.

    According to Mrs. Chidinma Nwosu, a parent, “With arrangements like this, I can only spend little to treat my kids and make them happy. Because I understand via hand bills and advertisements by these shopping malls that the whole exercise will be free. So I love to be part of it.” This perhaps, explains why for children, the event, is the perfect time to make requests from their parents. And their parents usually and immediately oblige them in the spirit of the celebration.

    The children played round the mall, made new friends and had chocolate and ice cream stains all over their clothes; they had lots of goodies to eat

    A teacher from Busy Brain Nursery and Primary school, Mr. Godwin said; “It is the grace of God that made us one of the chosen schools to be here today. before now we were contemplating on where to take the children, unknown to us that Apapa mall had us in mind, we are grateful to the management of this mall and everyone who has sponsored this event. Our children have refused to go back home they want to remain in the mall dancing and enjoying themselves.”

    For children who visited Apapa mall on Children’s Day, such day should be a never -ending one, they wish it is repeated on a daily basis as many of them refuse to return home having enjoyed playing their favourite games and toys at the mall.

    Some of the pupil who spoke with The Nation Shopping expressed gratitude to Apapa mall. Elated Anu Badmus, pupil of Busy Brain Nursery and Primary school said; “I am happy to be part of Apapa mall’s party for children today and I wish Children’s Day can be every day so that I will continue to enjoy all these goodies here”.

    The children at the event wish such day should be a never -ending one, they wish it is repeated on a daily basis as many of them refuse to return home having enjoyed playing their favourite games and toys at the mall. Available for the kids to play with were games like bouncing castle, train ride in and out of the mall, group dance, basket ball games, Noah’s Ark Slide, amongst other games.

    Schools present at the event were; Priscilla Nursery and Primary school Apapa, Busy Brain Qafield International School, Dabet International Nursery and Primary school and ST Davilla Mont Nurse and Primary school Ajegunle, all in Lagos.

    Participating stores are Shoprite, provided snacks and drinks for the children; Cash N Carry stocks household items and gave away gift prizes to two people who emerged winners of the drawing competition. Samsung supported the event with chairs and canopies.

    The highlight of the event was the cutting of the Children’s Day cake by all the children present as well as invited guests.

  • Innjoo launches new mega speed product

    InnJoo has launched new products-InnJoo Fire and Note Pro. Both models are 2G RAM, together with InnJoo ONE flagship model launched in February, InnJoo upgraded all of its product to 2GB RAM, which is theoretically two times or four times faster than any normal smart phones in the market.

    Robert Liang, Managing Director of InnJoo, highlighted InnJoo’s high specification and low price internet business model at the event. He said, “Nigeria is a highly mobile country and people have to download quite many Apps in their phone which sometimes make the system running slower and even freezing, migrating from normally 512MB or 1GB to 2GB RAM is a must and the trend. You can find that all InnJoo smartphones Fire, Note Pro and ONE, which are equipped with a 2GB RAM. InnJoo is a 100 percent pure internet brand, we are dedicated and forever to enhance the customer experience.”

    InnJoo is a technical startup with internet DNA founded in 2014. Headquartered in Dubai, UAE, it has become the fastest growing company providing smart devices and software services in the MEA region. In one year between May last year and May 2015, InnJoo has sold 1.2 million phone units in just four markets. “Our team is very young, which the average age is around 26, but we are doing things down to earth, thinking differently and acting very fast. We are the new generation and know exactly what the young people are looking for. This is Mega speed!” explained Robert.

    Looking to its product line, InnJoo ONE is positioned as a high-end Smartphone in the product line with 2GB RAM, Octa core processor, 13MP back camera and 5MP front camera, with double sided Dragontrail glass and full metal sharp design, the InnJoo One which first went through a pre-order phase on Jumia proved beyond doubt the all round trust between the loving customer, a great number of customers were willing to pre-pay to get their hands first on the phone in anticipation of its arrival.

    The newly released Note Pro also equipped with 2GB RAM, 5.5 inch HD display, 13MP back camera and 8MP front camera considering the more and more popular selfie demands in the market, 3000 mAh super battery ensures users enjoy longer talking time and gaming fun.

    Another InnJoo model is Fire, which is exclusively to Nigeria market. As a new range of InnJoo product line, Fire offers exceptional value for its affordable price, and blows all other budget handsets out of the water. With the just right size of 5-inch display, 2GB RAM with powerful efficiency and range of textures including Classic Black, Elegant White, Luxury Gold and Natural Bamboo, Fire has plenty of usable features, good camera and pocket friendly price to ignite the passion of the new generation.

    As the biggest mobile sales ever, Jumia Mobile Week offering the best prices online for the world’s hottest phone brands, as the golden partner of Jumia Megathon, all above InnJoo models will be available at the first day of June, customers can get the best price and exclusive offer for InnJoo smart devices during these period.

  • Unique interiors exhibition held in Lagos

    Unique interiors exhibition held in Lagos

    Unique interior exhibition has held its 12th unique exhibition themed ‘Unique Beyond Borders’ at Federal Palace Hotel Victoria Island Lagos. The exhibition is to draw card for professionals to gain valuable insights into the latest solutions for ensuring comfortable, sustainable new builds, renovations, as it featured numerous technical and educational events delving deeply into the industry’s hottest topics.

    The exhibition which lasted for three days had some important dignitaries like Mrs. Debola Majekodumi the vision founder, Mrs. Folake Onabolu, the permanent secretary in the Lagos State Civil Service who represented the state government.

    Welcoming the participants and the invited guests, the chairman of the event, Chief Olu Falomo, in his speech explained the importance of unique interiors in Nigeria. He said; the system has been in existence for more than 20 years but that the challenges of setting up something like this in Nigeria could be frustrating.

    “I want to particularly thank and admire Architect Debola Majekodumi who has being battling with this event year in year out for over 20 years. I admire her fighting spirit and perseverance for the success of the unique exhibition which has come to stay. He said”.

    The permanent Secretary, Mrs. Folake Onabolu in her speech said “The timing of this exhibition is unique itself because it is coinciding with the inevitable changes that Lagos state and the Nation as a whole are witnessing because we have witnessed an atmosphere of change from the outgoing administration to the incoming administration and most of all, we have voted for change for the better and that is what the country has been yawning for. I know this exhibition will stand the test of time because it is the 20th edition and I hope it continues to be better.”

    The exhibition which was declared opened by Mrs. Folake Onabolu, the permanent secretary in the Lagos State Civil Service gave participants the opportunity to showcase their products. Exhibitors at the event were Dofas Technological Nigeria Ltd, Lange and Grant, Jiuhua Nigeria Company Ltd, Sandtex Intratex, Literior Light Fittings Interiors, Voda Paints, Margin Scribes Limited, Global Corp Ltd among others.

    Architect Debola Majekodumi, the vision founder of the exhibition said “The interior design market is a growing market that can be improved on, but the exhibition is for the built environment which includes Architecture, interior design, and Facility management, we are trying to make interior products and services more accessible to the Nigerian Public in order to help create awareness and publicity for exhibiting companies and educate the visitors on built environment service through the seminars and exhibition.”

  • Consumers relive experience at Calypso fun fiesta

    For the teeming consumers of Calypso, Dark Sailor Rum, two premium brands on the stable of Grand Oak Ltd, the thrills and frills  they enjoyed courtesy of the product remain evergreen.

    It was indeed an occasion for the consumers and the brands to actively connect through a fun fiesta packaged for their merriments by the leading brands.

    Specifically, Calypso Coconut liqueur and Dark Sailor Rum thrilled consumers and fun-seekers at a well-attended Beach Slam. It was a festival of music, dance and comedy which held at Suntan Beach on the outskirts of Badagry along Lagos-Badagry express road.

    Commenting on the event, Mr. Sola Ajibola, a consumer said it was indeed a great occasion as he along with his family had maximum fun during the fiesta, advising that Dark Sailor Rum and Calypso should make such an event an annual one. He also praised local artistes who provided lively lyrics at the occasion.

    Similarly, Mr. John Nwachukwu, a trader and loyal consumer commended the activation stating that brands that celebrate with consumers on such an important occasion like beach slam will always enjoy consumer loyalty.

    His words: “We commend GOL’s Calypso and Dark Sailor Rum for identifying with through the beach slam. It is a very good one and we will be loyal to the brands,” he said.

    Speaking at the event, Brand Manager, Dark Sailor, Susan Adeniyi said that the company wants its target audience to know the Brands care about them through all seasons.

    She said: “We came here to excite people through the various carefully planned activities. Asides the free cocktail available for everyone, there are games to participate in where winners will be handsomely rewarded.”

    Further speaking on the criteria for selecting those that participated in the game at the event, Adeniyi said the participants have to be physically strong and must be prepared to have fun.

    According to her: “It’s not everybody that is energetic that is daring; some people would rather watch while sipping their drinks. Dark Sailor is a brand that is not afraid of daring. It is a brand associated with games such as sailing, football, rock climbing, dancing competition, and others. It’s so exciting looking at the response we have got; we are glad we are here this year.”

    Some of the winners include Stephen Iyaomolere; who went home with a DSTV walka and Prince Ade samuel who also won a Jersey and a football.

    The duo expressed excitement and promised loyalty. They also thanked the management of Grand Oak for presenting them with such beautiful gifts.