The Nation Newspaper

Category: Shopping

  • Exchange rate affecting sales, say traders

    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, the majority of them said some of their goods are still abroad as the previous amount they purchased those goods have increased by 10percent.

    According to them, the high exchange rate is hindering them from bringing their goods into the country. These merchants explained 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.

    A trader 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 Dollar rate 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 come 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 exchange increment 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.  

  • 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 cloths for my children because it’s cheap and affordable in this way I can buy more for them compare 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.”

  • Fuel scarcity frustrates shoppers

    Fuel scarcity frustrates shoppers

    Operators in the retail shopping industry lament that fuel scarcity is affecting their businesses as sales and traffic to these places have been low, report TONIA ‘DIYAN, OCHU OHUNENE LATIFAH and EKEOWA PATIENCE.

    This last week has seen shopping activities almost paralysed at shopping places within the Lagos metropolis. No thanks to the present scarcity of the petroleum product which has been out of stock since last week. Operators of shopping places say they have been witnessing low sales because of  the frustrating situation and customers do not patronise them like before.

    Managements of malls visited have shown dissatisfaction with the present fuel situation , describing the situation as highly unacceptable and very disappointing. They said it is a major setback to economic activities in the country and have advised the government to do everything necessary  to see that the situation is normalised as soon as possible.

    The Nation Shopping visited some shopping places to observe how the present fuel scarcity is affecting sales.  At Ikeja City Mall in Alausa, Ikeja, Manager of Poise store, Mrs Temitope Olaopa, said the present fuel situation has affected sales for her and her colleagues negatively. “With the present  scarcity of fuel which has been ongoing since last week, we are recording very low sales. The situation is worse than the election period when we had to work half day. This time around, our customers are not showing up the whole day” she said

    Like Olaopa, Julie Akum, another store owner at the Ikeja mall laments last weekend and Workers Day also were bad days for them because of the fuel scarcity situation. “We had thought sales would pick at the weekend and on May Day, but nothing changed. We hardly made sales. Car owners preferred to reserve the fuel in their cars to go to their work places during the week rather than visit the mall, they argue that they might not find fuel to buy”

    The story is not different with Ms Ayodele Abimbola, a sales representative at Party Perfect, a store that sells party items and gifts. “With the increase in the price of the little fuel in circulation and also the increase in the price of transportation, it has really made it difficult for people to make it to the Mall to shop. Like me, the price of transportation from my home to the shop has been doubled .I used to pay N70 per trip, now it is N150.”

    At the Apapa mall in Park Lane, Apapa, Lagos, the scarcity has forced store owners to cut down prices of items at least by 10 percent, they say they have realised that foot traffic to the mall has dropped drastically, and they appeal to the government to address the problem as soon as possible so that they will be left with the bad road and traffic jam they have been battling for long.  According to them, they have lost enough customers already; and plead that the government doesn’t inflict more pains on them.

    A store representative with PEP store, Cassandra Okafor said, the fuel scarcity situation has become  a bone in the neck and it  is affecting everybody in the country not only those at the mall “ One thing we have done since the fuel scarcity began is to count our losses. When our customers are unable to come in to shop, we stand the risk of losing and not being able to pay our workers. We are hoping that the situation will be normalised before the end of this week.”

    The owner of Essenza, a perfume store, Malarki Adoga, said the scarcity of fuel has affected his business badly “I find it is very difficult to come to my shop on a daily basis since the fuel scarcity began. I am displeased with the present situation in the country. So far, we have lost many customers, those we call on phone will complain that they are tired having spent the whole day at the filling station queuing to buy fuel”

    A sales representative at Accessories 2 die 4, a store which stocks all kinds of ladies accessories, said she didn’t  know if the fuel scarcity affected sales at her shop “ I don’t know if the present fuel situation has affected business here, since we do not use petrol for anything in the shop but one thing for sure is that, fuel scarcity comes with scarcity of transportation and if there is no means of transportation, how will our customers make it to the Mall.”

    Few shoppers seen at Adeniran Ogunsanya and leisure mall said they live around the mall and could afford to take a walk to the mall for their shopping.  Miss Ifunaya Clement said she was at the mall because she lives few streets away from both malls who are neighbours. “Ordinarily, I will take a bus or tricycle to the mall, but I decided to ignore the high fare these days and take a walk. It is a stone throw”.

    Another shopper, Mr Samuel Ibikunle said “I have been finding it difficult to get fuel for my car because filling stations don’t have and those that have are usually crowded. The only alternative for me is the black market and it is very expensive that is why I cannot waste my fuel to the mall, except it is very necessary like it is now that I am at this mall for official purpose, I am here to attend a meeting  with my boss” he said.

    • Inside view of a scanty mall
    • Inside view of a scanty mall

    Mrs Abigel Kehinde also a shopper, think people will be affected especially, those with their private cars and the motorists.  She said: “if these people are affected, the Mall and other shopping places will also be affected because when there is no transport then people won’t be able to come to the Mall.”

    Some shoppers who were at Apapa mall said they stay close to the mall and can afford to stroll down, that is why they can still be found in the mall.  Andrew Omoh said he didn’t come from a far place, “I live nearby, and the only people I think it will affect more are those coming from a distance and those with private cars who won’t be able to get fuel for their vehicles. But for few shoppers who came from a distance, the fuel scarcity has done them more harm than good.

    Tayo Oshoba visited the mall from Oshodi, he lamented on how difficult it is to get to the mall, “Ordinarily, getting to Apapa mall is hell because of the bad road.  Now the burden  has increased.  Before now I spent about N300 from my house. Today, I have spent N600 after waiting at the bus stop for a longer period

    For Thomas Omokaro, “I have packed my car because i can’t surfer to buy fuel at a high price and end up wasting it in traffic. For now, I am thinking of holding on on my shopping here for the main time, I will rather go to a nearby open market to get the things I need until  this frustrating scenario is over’’.

  • IDL takes CSR to next level

    IDL takes CSR to next level

    Many businesses pursue corporate social responsibility (CSR) that can best be termed pet projects. One big company that has taken a bold move to improve the condition of its host community is Intercontinental Distillers Ltd (IDL) which has built classrooms for its hosts, TONIA ‘DIYAN reports.  

    Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become more mainstream as forward-thinking companies such as Intercontinental Distillers Ltd (IDL) producers and marketers of such leading  quality drinks that satisfy the needs of its customers as Chelsea London Dry Gin, Squadron, Eagle Aromatic Schnapps, London Dry Gin, Samba Coconut Liqueur, Veleta Sparkling Fruit Drink, Teezers, Action Bitters among others has embedded CSRinto its core values to create shared value for organisations in its host community.

    Giving back to a receptive community such as Ota in Ogun State was not a difficult task for IDL when it donated a block of four classrooms and two offices to Ilogbo Asowo Community High School, Ilogbo in Ota, Ogun State , as its contribution to improve the standard of education in the school. The initiative was facilitated by the Onilogbo of Ilogbo, Samuel Olufemi Ojugbele, after a passionate appeal to IDL to provide more classrooms and offices for the school to cater for its ever increasing population.

    Since the inauguration of the block of classrooms coincided with the 72ndbirthday celebration of the Onilogbo, it was as like a special birthday gift to him.

    With this, the company has displayed its commitment to giving back to its host community in a special way. The project was completed on schedule  in spite of prevailing economic difficulties and constraints.

    Managing Director, IDL, Chief Patrick I. Anegbe said the company believes that business is not just about making profit but also touching the lives of the communities where it operates in a positive way, hence its involvement in various CSR initiatives over the years.

    He said: “The gesture is a way of identifying with the progress of the Ota community. It is our hope that the project would go a long way in improving the standard of education in the community.” He however, advised the students to take care of the building, stating that it is theirs and that of their future generations.”

    The Oni-logbo of Ilogbo, Oba Dr Samuel Ojubele, who facilitated the project for the school, expressed gratitude to IDL. “I am happy and fulfilled that my wish for this school has become a reality. I felt for the children when I visited the school. Their classrooms were crowded with more than 100 of them, I decided to invite Chief Anebe, IDL boss who asked me to  relax that his company will award the contract and then the contractor came and this is the result. The project took only three weeks” he said.

    The monarch added at the tape cutting ceremony that he couldn’t have wished for a better birthday gift and that he is sure that with the new block of classrooms, pressure would be eased from the existing structures. Thanking the organisation for the love it had shown, he urged other companies to emulate gesture, stating that there are other needed facilities like toilet, library and a standard laboratory.”

    In the same vein, the principal of the school, Pastor Femi Awosode expressed gratitude tothe firm, adding that he was pleased with the new development in the school.  “This is a wonderful development happening in my time as principal of this school, IDL is a very responsible cooperate organisation and I am happy with their contribution to the school.” he said.

    An elated Olowolafe Abimbola, an  SS1 student, thanked IDL and the monarch for building a beautiful structure for the students. “This is the only beautiful structure we can boast of. We are indeed very grateful to the company who has done this for us,” she said.

    Abimbola added that the challenge of having to learn with 299 more students under the same roof has been overcome. “The learning condition here has not been friendly; sometimes some of us who sit at the back do not hear what the teacher is saying. Our Kabieyesi has promised to help us talk with more people that will transform our school and make it conducive for learning. I pray that the company that has started this good work will not collapse,” she added.

    For Afolabi Samuel, a JSS3 student of the school, this is one of the best things that has happened in the school. “Nobody has ever thought of doing this for us before now. At least, this building is going to make our school compound beautiful beautiful. I want to thank God for making this a reality for our school, tIDL and the Kabiesi himself,” he said.

    Before now, findings have it that the community was in a deplorable state and wasn’t functioning well enough to meet the needs of its residents, then  IDL immediately went into action, providing extension of treated drinking water from the factory to Igboloye Community in Ota and a borehole.

    The company donated a 500 kva transformer to the same community, a block of three classrooms and computers to Iganmode Grammar School, renovated a block of five classrooms for St. Michael Primary School, and renovated a block of three classrooms for St. Peters Primary School 2, all in Ota community.

    Apart from these donations, the company has succeeded in completing an assembly hall for Customs Secondary School, Idiroko, it has donated a set of computers and printers to the Special Marshal Unit of the Federal Road Safety Corp, Ogun State Command, a 5.5 kva generator to the National Identity Management Commission, N250,000 to Ogun State Sports Council towards the National Sports Festival. Now, the Ota community has been upgraded with the help of IDL.

    Today, IDL has grown to become the market leader in wines and spirits sub-sector of Food and Beverage industry in Nigeria employing over 800 staff directly and many more indirectly.

    The Chairman, Ogun State Teaching Service, Otunba Timothy Adebowale, has asked the students to take advantage of the new learning facilities to better themselves.

  • Robotel, Topteck unveil smartclass+ in Nigeria

    Global leading teaching solution developer, ROBOTEL Inc. has unveiled a technological solution that improves digital classroom management systems.

    Robotel Inc Canada partnered Topteck Nigeria Ltd, a world class IT firm, to launch Robotel SmartClass+ products in the country. Robotel, in partnership with Topteck, will offer hundreds of Nigerian educational institutions a world-class digital classroom and language labouratories.

    Executive Director,  Europe, Africa and Latin America,  at Robotel, Yanick Demers,  during a townhall meeting tagged ROBOTEL SmartClass+ – The 21st Century Digital Classroom, in Lagos expressed delight at having the opportunity to showcase the technology to the country. With over 30 years experience, Demers said Robotel has developed computer classroom labouratories, with more than 10,000 systems installed in more than 75 countries across the world.

    He said: “Our exclusive partnership with Topteck Nigeria allows us to nurture an ‘axis of content excellence’, as well as  to more clearly differentiate our value proposition, which in turn gives us the means to deliver the very best of  21st Century Digital Classroom to institutions in Nigeria and West Africa.

    “Over the past 15 years, I received many potential partners; none of them was as convincing as Topteck. It came with a plan, describing the needs of the education sector in Nigeria, and how Robotel and Topteck could work together. He obviously described the many challenges of introducing new educational technologies in Nigeria and West Africa but showed me passionately, that he had a clear vision about the development of ICT for the education sector.

    “Today, I feel grateful to him, to be here with him on this stage to share my passion and knowledge in supporting institutions, teachers and students in a better usage of ICT with any device, any place at anytime.”

    Chief Executive Officer,  Topteck Nigeria, Olu Babatunde, said the partnership is an exciting milestone for his company.

    According to him, the increased broadband access in West Africa, especially Nigeria, has paved way for Robotel to bring innovative products to the sub-region last year.

    He said: “Today, Topteck Nigeria has installed Language Laboratories in Adeleke Univerity, Ede, Osun State, which is the pioneer Robotel installed Laboratory in Nigeria with 10 +1 workstations; Babcock University, Ilisan, Ogun State, with 30 +1 workstations. We recently delivered the Redeemer’s University Language Laboratory, also 30 + 1 workstations.”

    He said many other univeristies have shown interest in adopting the Robotel brand of technoloy to ease teaching and learning.

    Babatunde said: “Uthman Fodio University, Sokoto; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka; Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State and host of others within the country have shown interest

    “We are also expanding our tentacles beyond the shores of Nigeria. We have received orders from University of Sao Tome & Principe and many orders from Ghana.

    “The list is fast growing. These would not have been possible without the tremendous support from ROBOTEL in Montréal Canada and Mr.  Demers.”

  • Firm unveils online store

    Firm unveils online store

    In a bid to leverage on the rising opportunities of online businesses, Rothschild Resources and Services Ltd, a firm that is into sales of goods and services has unveiled its online store- rothschild.com.ng.

    Speaking during the event which was held at the ‘TFC Place’, Festac town, Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Igwe Stephen Nwatu, said that they are prepared to position themselves in untapped areas of online markets.

    “Rothschild shopping mall will provide a wide range of product from home needs to industrial needs. Our delivery pattern is strategic with focus on exceeding customer’s expectation. Whatever the customer needs and whenever it is needed, the company would provide it,” he said.

    Asked why he decided to go into online shopping, he said first he discovered that other online stores have not fully utilised the service and second he wants to be among the pioneer online stores in the country.

    In addition, he believes that rothschild.com.ng will be number one in Nigeria very soon, saying  if Nigeria telecommunication sector can witness a 140 million lines sale between 2001 and 2015, rothschild.com.ng will also witness tremendous growth within a short time.

    While calling on the government to come to the aid of business men and women by providing  regular  power supply, the traditional ruler from Enugu State noted that power is a great challenge for the company as it has to procure  fuel to keep the business going for 24 hours.

    He assured his customers  of  posting the best online quality goods for the consumer and retail use, saying that it is their ultimate goal to ensure a wonderful experience for customers.

    “Our delivery pattern is strategic in nature with focus on exceeding customer’s expectations. Whatever you need and wherever you want it, we would provide and get them to you. Prompt customer care and real on time delivery would be our watch word. We promise not to take our customers for granted.

    ‘’We are backed by a crop of highly competent and skilled staff with varied experience. We are very hopeful that our workers with the right attitude, right skills and the right perspective will be at the right place, at the right time for the right business, presenting the right product from the right vendor to the right customer,” he said.

     

  • The customer should be king always

    The customer should be king always

     A food outfit, Eat’N’Go, was established about four years ago. It has the exclusive master franchise for Domino’s Pizza and Cold Stone Creamery in Nigeria. Its Chief Executive Officer Jean-Claude Meyer speaks about Domino Pizza’s brand identity, its battle among competing brands, varieties and its projection in the nation’s fast food market, among others. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA met him.

    What is Domino Pizza’s brand identity?

    The Domino’s Pizza brand is known globally for being the leader in pizza delivery, it’s what we do. We strive to be number one in every neighborhood. As such, the brand is known for delivering quality products and services while putting people first, demanding integrity, striving for customer loyalty, delivering with smart hustle and positive energy and ultimately, winning by improving results every day.

    What decides your location and what are those considerations?

     There are a number of factors impacting management’s decision on where to establish a Domino’s Pizza restaurant. We consider things such as area demographics, spending power, logistical issues and proximity to our commissaries; and once we have set our mind on an area, we then look for a site within it, which ideally would gather as many ideal criteria as possible, like being on a high street or being of adequate size, with minimal construction, we also look at the parking size, etc.

    Could you tell us the various types of pizza available?

    We carry a rich menu of pizzas and other meal accompaniments such as Stuffed Cheesy bread, Chicken Wings, Chicken Kickers, Bread Sticks, to mention but a few. Going back to the pizza types available, I can guarantee that we have a pizza for everyone depending on their taste or convictions. For example, we have the Margarita, Caprese, Veggie or Veggie Supreme Pizzas for the vegetarians, BBQ Chicken, Chicken Tikka, Deluxe, Pepperoni Supreme or Chicken Supreme for the meat lovers, Hawiian Pizza if a more fruity taste is what you fancy, and also Chicken Suya and Chicken Bali for those who like it hot and spicy.

    However, one of the uniqueness and beauty of Domino’s Pizza is that no one should be restricted to which ever recipe we came up with. Customers are entitled to request for half and half, so half BBQ Chicken / half pepperoni for example, or even better, create their own entirely by selecting any number of toppings in our list and let their creativity run wild. If you like chicken, cheese, hot peppers and olives, then why should you be denied the right to delight yourself with just that?

    Are sure of breaking even in view of the competiton?

    At this stage in Nigeria, we believe we are pioneers in our field, as we honestly do not consider any other eatery as competition. Not that we disregard or underestimate them, but that the demand still far outweighs the offer.

    As such, we have the “first mover’s advantage” but then again it is now about educating the market on how our products make for a suitable alternative for their meals. Another unique advantage we have is investing in our team members. We strive to make every staff working for Domino’s as part of the family and not just an addition. Finally, what will always make us confident about our ability to break even is our dedication to our guests and we are relentless. There shouldn’t be any reason for our restaurants not to succeed when we provide the best quality at the best price in the industry, without sacrificing quantity.

    What  marketing techniques are you adopting to woo customers?

    One strategy we have adopted with Domino’s Pizza is to ‘Nigerianise’ the product. We have been able to roll out a couple of pizzas, for example the Chicken Suya pizza, which is a good seller and accepted very well in the market here.

    We have also worked hard to ensure the quality, the pricing and the different promotional offerings done as correctly as we can to try and convince the market to have a slice of our pizza.

    Our best marketing strategy is again, to provide the best price to quality to quantity ratio in the market, and you can verify this. We recently started ‘A Prove Us Wrong’ campaign with us making the declaration that we are bigger, better and cheaper. We are urging anyone to prove us wrong and get a free pizza; we are that confident. Our medium sized pizza is what others sell as their large pizzas at an outrageously high price. In addition, we will deliver for free, anywhere within our range, in an average time of about 25 minutes from the moment you order.

    More generally, our idea is that customer is king and deserves to feel that way, whether through our services, our product, our affordability or our environment. Of course, we can’t be always successful in that but we certainly strive to make it happen over and over, on every occasion we get for each of our guests. Our goal is that not one guest leaves our restaurant without a smile on his or her face.

    Would you convincingly say you provide for every social class?

    Everybody needs to eat, so everybody is our concern. We strive on a daily basis to cater to more and more people not only by opening stores but also by developing new products with reasonable costs to our guests or launching promotions on various occasions.

    I wouldn’t say we provide daily for every social class just yet, but it is our goal.

    What are the standard hygiene processes (from beginning to finished products) considering that pizza are often prepared with bare hands?

    Hygiene is one of our primary focus! The difference with us is that we mean it, and thus we show it.

    In all our restaurants, we made the kitchen not only central but entirely open so every guest can see for their eyes the cleanliness of our work environment, the freshness of our products, and is therefore guaranteed that their meal was prepared with utmost care.

    Furthermore, all our open kitchens feature wash hand basins and our rule is that every crew member must wash their hands on a regular basis. We sometimes encounter the argument of bare hands versus gloves and we prefer washing our hands because it is much more efficient against germs, as how often does one wash the gloves they are wearing?

    What do you have to say to your customers in the country?

    We would like to thank Nigeria for having accepted us warmly and we promise to continually strive to make everyone happy with our products and services. We urge everyone to expect nothing but the best, as we do have a number of projects in the pipeline which we are confident will please everyone. Watch out for innovation, new menu additions, ever attractive promotions; all designed to keep every guest smiling.

  • Why online products remain cheaper

    Why online products remain cheaper

    With the growing popularity of online stores in this part of the world, retail experts say technology-driven shopping platforms such as Jumia are likely to replace the bricks and mortar in the nearest future. They argue that it is because items on these platforms are affordable, available all the time and are of good quality in spite of the fact that they are cheap, TONIA’DIYAN reports

    Osato Edebiri, knew only one way and place of shopping – the open traditional showrooms or markets such as Isale Eko.

    Edebiri who however  loves exploring new ideas recently decided to try a new thing by visiting Jumia.com.ng, an online shopping store. because she is aware that with many online retail shops springing up in recent times, the price reduction has been motivated more by the quest to beat competition. But what she is not sure of is if this has also meant some compromises on the quality of goods. In some unregulated online marketplaces, the prices are even so ridiculous that one only needs common sense to realise there has been compromise on quality. On the realisation of this, she sought advice from some shoppers who have patronised  Jumia. Most of them said from their experience, the quality of goods offered on the platform is never compromised regardless of the consistent price reduction the website is known for.

    Edebiri’s friend, Esther Chukwuma shared her experience: “I was skeptical about this online deals especially the quality of the products since they are always willing to offer cheaper prices. Then came a day when I was to make a trip out of Lagos and needed a good laptop to go with. I saw a Lenovo laptop for N52, 499 on Jumia. I didn’t have the time to do a price check with an offline store, so I called an old retail customer who confirmed that I can buy same laptop for N60,000, but that I could pay N58,000 if I was ready with my cash. Immediately, I decided to buy online from Jumia. I have since used my laptop for a year, eight months and I have not had reason to take it for repairs. Everyone who sees my laptop tells me it is the original and that it might not need an engineer’s touch for a very long time. I am baffled at the way Jumia get quality products and still can afford to sell at the cheapest price in the Nigerian market. I won’t stop asking myself if they make profits at all. The firm is just too generous with their items. I love them and I won’t stop patronizing them”

    Another shopper, Derenle Awudu uses Jumia store often. She told The Nation Shopping that she found out that the Dolce &Gabbana light blue [DT125ml] perfume she bought for her husband cost N16, 999, which is the same amount it cost on the eBay website (an American online store). It’s the same case with Versace bright crystal perfume [DP90ml] perfume for women. The price is the same on eBay and Jumia (N18, 995) as such she doesn’t see the reason for buying from a foreign online store

    Since inception, online store has  been able to maintain a competitive advantage by keeping costs lower than the amount customers will pay, thereby, building higher profit than their counterpart. They are aware that if this continues year after year, even as costs and prices change, they would have the sustainable competitive advantage over others. However, online operators like jumia.com.ng have said they cannot become too comfortable with their advantage, and must continue to find ways to maintain a competitive advantage.

    Retail experts say as the pioneer online store in Nigeria, Jumia is taking the lead in the online retail business because, it is able to offer products at affordable prices which are less than other online retail companies and those of brick and mortar stores due to its wide assemblage of brand partners from Apple to Infinix to Lego, Samsung, L’oreal and more. Also, the firm is one that has been able to forge lasting and favourable partnerships with the biggest brand who are able to offer them their products at reduced tariffs and sometimes even exclusively. These brands are happy and always willing to work with Jumia due to a proven track record of service delivery, customer satisfaction and guaranteed volume of sales. Experts have advised other online stores to emulate Jumia.com.ng.

    Saying owners of other stores may lose sleep over the growing influence of this store, as the competition may completely run them out of town and based on the demography and psychology of the Nigerian consumer, who naturally would love to buy very cheap and always available item, Jumia website will always be attractive.

    This analysis seems to have struck a chord in Edebiri and indeed, other shoppers who are like her. She is now with the mind set of buying the right item from Jumia (Quality) at the best price (affordability). However, the consensus of retail experts is that price and quality of products and services would ultimately determine where the shopper goes.

    Findings have shown that another clarification as to why one can expect to get the best deals on Jumia is the company’s fascination with sales promotions for customers. The online store is always happy when its customers are happy. Just about every week, one can expect to find a sales promotion on Jumia with products being sold at puzzling and ground breaking prices. Customers who take advantage of these deals are always quick to tell the stories of their endeavors on social media with the Jumia social pages

    Indeed, convenience is one of the major attractions for online shopping apart from good quality and affordable products which is peculiar with Jumia store. Afam Anyika, Jumia Offline Marketing head, once said, “Online platform is selling to people convenience with various methods of payment and most of all providing them with rich quality retail content all at fair prices. It is clear the experiences are better and assortment wider with online retail. More Nigerians are shopping online by the day and in three years of our operations, I can tell you the Nigerian market has been waiting for this for a long time.”

    Speaking of a guaranteed volume of sales, Co-Managing Director, Jumia Nigeria, Dr. Jonathan Doerr said, “He said, “Speaking of guaranteed volume of sale, in Economics, there is a concept called ‘Economies of Scale’. This concept explains that there are cost advantages which certain enterprises enjoy due to their larger size, output and scale of operation. Being that Jumia Nigeria is the biggest online retail store in Nigeria, accessible and patronized daily by tons of Nigerians nationwide, it only adds up that unlike the others, Jumia Nigeria can now afford to plummet profit margins and provide lesser priced products to customers due to a reduced overall operating cost.”

    He added: “Another clarification as to why you can expect to get the best deals on Jumia is the company’s fascination with sales promotions for customers. You can describe it as Jumia giving back if you may but Jumia is always happy when it’s customers are happy whether we are making profit or not. Just about every week, one can expect to find a sales promotion on Jumia with products being sold at puzzling and ground breaking prices. Customers who take advantage of these deals are always quick to tell the stories of their endeavours littered with testimonials.

  • ‘The customer should be king always’

    ‘The customer should be king always’

     A food outfit, Eat’N’Go, was established about four years ago. It has the exclusive master franchise for Domino’s Pizza and Cold Stone Creamery in Nigeria. Its Chief Executive Officer Jean-Claude Meyer speaks about Domino Pizza’s brand identity, its battle among competing brands, varieties and its projection in the nation’s fast food market, among others. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA met him.

    What is Domino Pizza’s brand identity?

    The Domino’s Pizza brand is known globally for being the leader in pizza delivery, it’s what we do. We strive to be number one in every neighborhood. As such, the brand is known for delivering quality products and services while putting people first, demanding integrity, striving for customer loyalty, delivering with smart hustle and positive energy and ultimately, winning by improving results every day.

    What decides your location and what are those considerations?

     There are a number of factors impacting management’s decision on where to establish a Domino’s Pizza restaurant. We consider things such as area demographics, spending power, logistical issues and proximity to our commissaries; and once we have set our mind on an area, we then look for a site within it, which ideally would gather as many ideal criteria as possible, like being on a high street or being of adequate size, with minimal construction, we also look at the parking size, etc.

    Could you tell us the various types of pizza available?

    We carry a rich menu of pizzas and other meal accompaniments such as Stuffed Cheesy bread, Chicken Wings, Chicken Kickers, Bread Sticks, to mention but a few. Going back to the pizza types available, I can guarantee that we have a pizza for everyone depending on their taste or convictions. For example, we have the Margarita, Caprese, Veggie or Veggie Supreme Pizzas for the vegetarians, BBQ Chicken, Chicken Tikka, Deluxe, Pepperoni Supreme or Chicken Supreme for the meat lovers, Hawiian Pizza if a more fruity taste is what you fancy, and also Chicken Suya and Chicken Bali for those who like it hot and spicy.

    However, one of the uniqueness and beauty of Domino’s Pizza is that no one should be restricted to which ever recipe we came up with. Customers are entitled to request for half and half, so half BBQ Chicken / half pepperoni for example, or even better, create their own entirely by selecting any number of toppings in our list and let their creativity run wild. If you like chicken, cheese, hot peppers and olives, then why should you be denied the right to delight yourself with just that?

    Are sure of breaking even in view of the compettiton?

    At this stage in Nigeria, we believe we are pioneers in our field, as we honestly do not consider any other eatery as competition. Not that we disregard or underestimate them, but that the demand still far outweighs the offer.

    As such, we have the “first mover’s advantage” but then again it is now about educating the market on how our products make for a suitable alternative for their meals. Another unique advantage we have is investing in our team members. We strive to make every staff working for Domino’s as part of the family and not just an addition. Finally, what will always make us confident about our ability to break even is our dedication to our guests and we are relentless. There shouldn’t be any reason for our restaurants not to succeed when we provide the best quality at the best price in the industry, without sacrificing quantity.

    What  marketing techniques are you adopting to woo customers?

    One strategy we have adopted with Domino’s Pizza is to ‘Nigerianise’ the product. We have been able to roll out a couple of pizzas, for example the Chicken Suya pizza, which is a good seller and accepted very well in the market here. We have also worked hard to ensure the quality, the pricing and the different promotional offerings done as correctly as we can to try and convince the market to have a slice of our pizza.

    Our best marketing strategy is again, to provide the best price to quality to quantity ratio in the market, and you can verify this. We recently started ‘A Prove Us Wrong’ campaign with us making the declaration that we are bigger, better and cheaper. We are urging anyone to prove us wrong and get a free pizza; we are that confident. Our medium sized pizza is what others sell as their large pizzas at an outrageously high price. In addition, we will deliver for free, anywhere within our range, in an average time of about 25 minutes from the moment you order.

    More generally, our idea is that customer is king and deserves to feel that way, whether through our services, our product, our affordability or our environment. Of course, we can’t be always successful in that but we certainly strive to make it happen over and over, on every occasion we get for each of our guests. Our goal is that not one guest leaves our restaurant without a smile on his or her face.

    Would you convincingly say you provide for every social class?

    Everybody needs to eat, so everybody is our concern. We strive on a daily basis to cater to more and more people not only by opening stores but also by developing new products with reasonable costs to our guests or launching promotions on various occasions.

    I wouldn’t say we provide daily for every social class just yet, but it is our goal.

    What are the standard hygiene processes (from beginning to finished products) considering that pizza are often prepared with bare hands?

    Hygiene is one of our primary focus! The difference with us is that we mean it, and thus we show it.

    In all our restaurants, we made the kitchen not only central but entirely open so every guest can see for their eyes the cleanliness of our work environment, the freshness of our products, and is therefore guaranteed that their meal was prepared with utmost care.

    Furthermore, all our open kitchens feature wash hand basins and our rule is that every crew member must wash their hands on a regular basis. We sometimes encounter the argument of bare hands versus gloves and we prefer washing our hands because it is much more efficient against germs, as how often does one wash the gloves they are wearing?

    What do you have to say to your customers in the country?

    We would like to thank Nigeria for having accepted us warmly and we promise to continually strive to make everyone happy with our products and services. We urge everyone to expect nothing but the best, as we do have a number of projects in the pipeline which we are confident will please everyone. Watch out for innovation, new menu additions, ever attractive promotions; all designed to keep every guest smiling.

  • Rosabon launches career website

    The Concept Group Nigeria hass launched a career portal which is a developed innovative system for top talent across all levels of qualification and experience, to have access to a variety of career opportunities with various companies within ‘The Concept Group’. This portal was created to enable a more streamlined, responsive recruitment process for candidates who apply.

    The Concept Group is a holding company established in 1992. Subsidiaries under the Group include Rosabon Financial Services – Nigeria’s Leading Equipment Leasing and Financial Intermediary Company, Concept Nova –A Bespoke Enterprise Software Development Company and Percy Aitkins – A prominent foreign exchange company.

    The Concept Group is currently experiencing exponential growth with focus on recruiting talents with not just the right set of skills but also with the right attitude and personality. Candidates who are goal-driven and are looking for an innovative and fast pacing working environment to apply their talents would be appropriate for the organisation.

    Working with ‘The Concept Group’ sets candidates on an exciting and rewarding career pathway. In a typical work environment, career growth is usually constrained to a time frame. At the Concept Group, career advancement is purely merit based and is not time bound. The company’s ethos – “Great People make Great Company “exemplifies its passion and commitment to recruit great minds that seek to move the company to a great level of accomplishment than where it already is. Typically, talents will be constantly engaged with worthwhile experiences, responsibilities and accomplishments.

    This seamless online hiring process comes in four stages that enable the human resource (HR) team to identify candidates that best fit The Concept Group culture. One major advantage of this system is the career recommendation that comes with this hiring process based on candidates’ skill sets. Candidates are not just placed in any position that they apply for; rather personality test and selection process enables the HR team place the individual in a role where his/her skills and experiences can be best optimised.

    This career portal is also optimised for mobile devices, so users can access job listings and other information on the go on  www.conceptgroup-ng.com