The Nation Newspaper

Category: Shopping

  • Kaymu.com.ng trains future entrepreneurs

    Kaymu.com.ng trains future entrepreneurs

    Nigeria’s leading online marketplace, Kaymu.com.ng, has trained  pupils of Kiddie Quest Montessori School.

    At a workshop titled: ‘Kaymu future entrepreneurs training,’ 10 bright pupils from the school were given the opportunity to work half day at Kaymu office on ‘Children’s Day.’ It was an educative, interactive and engaging training and practical session.

    Managing Director of Kaymu.com.ng, Massimiliano Spalazzi said: “We believe that children are future leaders, with unique passions and aspirations. We like to give entrepreneurial children the ability to observe first-hand the work space and engage them in practical activities that the work environment presents.”

    He pledged the company’s dedication to drive the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country. Earlier, the brand put strategic measures in place to drive entrepreneurship in youths, such as the Kaymu Entrepreneurial Workshop conducted in some universities and the Kaymu Varsity Initiative for SMEs.

    Deputy Head Girl of the school, Olubukola Falayajo, expressed gratitude at the opportunity presented to pupils of the school through the Kaymu Future Entrepreneur Training.

    “It was a great experience and we learnt a lot about being an entrepreneur and the qualities of a successful entrepreneur,” she said.

    For the school’s Head Teacher, Rotimi Akapo, “It was an insightful initiative by Kaymu and a very educative and captivating experience for primary school children.”

    Kaymu is reputed as one of the safest online market places.

  • Shoprite to open outlet in Ibadan

    Shoprite to open outlet in Ibadan

    Shoprite is set to open its biggest store in the Sub-Saharan Africa as part of its expansion plans in Nigeria.

    The store, which will be the second in the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo State, would be located at the new Palms Shopping Mall.

    This store, which would be the 10th store since Shoprite opened its first Nigerian store in 2004 is part of the expansion plans the retail giant has set as its target to have a flagship store in every city.

    The Palms Mall in Ibadan is the Persianas’ group latest development and the fourth of its kind in Nigeria with 21,000 m2 retail space that would will have as neighbours a rich line of other international and local Nigerian retail brands.

    It will be recalled that after the first Palms Mall in Lekki, the Persianas’group developed more malls in Enugu and Ilorin – where Shoprite has stores.

    Trading from the right wing of the ground floor, the 4,754 square metre new aspirational store will offer customers the very best of Shoprite’s customer service, wider range of products, groceries, freshly baked meals, as well as a specially chosen selection of food at affordable prices.

    In preparation for the opening, the management of Shoprite has put together some activities to excite the people of Ibadan. Between June 9 and 18, there would be a charity run amid fun exercises, free breast cancer screening, donations to schools and lots of giveaways.

    The event, which would also be used to draw attention to the Shoprite Community Network Initiative, supports organisations that provide care in various capacities; it will be supported by some Shoprite’s suppliers.

    The Shoprite Store Manager in Ibadan, Mr. Fatai Oshungboye, said: “We’re delighted to be opening a second store in Ibadan. This is one of Nigeria’s largest cities and one filled with friendly people who are renowned for their effortless taste and we have the quality to satisfy.”

    Oshungboye reiterated the management’s outlook on growth. He said: “Shoprite have plans to open 44 new stores in Nigeria as we believe by going to all places where our customers are located we can serve them better.”

    Shoprite Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Whitey Basson while addressing the media in August, last year, said:  “Nigeria can handle 600 to 800 stores if you look at the size of the cities and the penetration of supermarkets; and it can happen quickly but that’s not dependent on Shoprite but on (the availability of) sites.”

    About 200 direct and over 100 indirect jobs will be created as the new store opens. This confirms the retail outlets resolve to create sustainable employment alongside investing in training and development.

  • UNILAG student wins car to Konga.com promo

    UNILAG student wins car to Konga.com promo

    400 level Marine Science student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Uzoamaka Anyanwu, has won a car in the Konga.com promo.

    The promo was a deal between Konga.com and Infinix Mobility, makers of Infinix range of mobile devices and tablets. It was aimed at ensuring that Nigerians get access to quality and super affordable mobile and tablet devices.

    The draw was witnessed by journalists.

    The initiative, which saw a slash in the price of the Infinix Joypad 7 tablet, was well received by Nigerians with several positive reviews about how Konga.com and Infinix were truly creating innovations that Nigerians can truly love.

    To further ensure Nigerians get access to mobile and tablet devices, Konga and Infinix partnered to launch the Infinix 8s tablet to the Nigerian market  and to create a promotion called the Konga.com and infinix splash which rewarded loyal shoppers last month with an opportunity to win a brand new Hyundai i10 and gift vouchers by simply buying the Infinix 8s tablet.

    The promo was part of other initiatives like free nationwide delivery which Konga carried out last month.

    Nollywood star actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, who was recognised as one of the Times 100 Most Influential People in the World, presented the Hyundai i10 car to  Anyanwu.

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Konga.com, Sim Shagaya: said: “It is truly an honour to be in a position to bring such great value to our customers.  This promo is one of the many rewards we have in store for Nigerians who choose to shop online and we are happy to present this brand new car to Uzoamaka.  We hope to have another edition of the promo and I will like to thank Infinix for coming together to make this happen.”

    Also, the Vice President of Infinix Andy Yan, said: “We are very happy with this partnership with Konga.com. The response from Nigerians to the Infinix brand has been tremendous, and our dream is to ensure that all Nigerians get access to our range of devices.

    “We will continue to work with Konga in ensuring that this dream is achieved.”

    The Infinix 8s is one of the best value tablets on the market, and is available exclusively on Konga.com.

    The promo will run again, for the next 500 buyers of the Infinix Joypad 8s.

  • Retailers strategise to retain customers

    To boost quarterly sales, major retailers across the metropolis are shifting focus from attracting new customers to retaining old ones. They are devising ingenious strategies to retain customers’ loyalty and boost sales this second quarter. TONIA ‘DIYAN reports.

    To maximise profit, most retailers are dangling the proverbial carrot in form of a significant reduction in prices of often-purchased items to retain customers. The strategy, retail analysts say, represents a gradual shift in focus from attracting new customers to retaining old ones by most retailers. It is also seen as a response to advise by some experienced retail analysts who say that it is important to boost sales quarterly.

    The import of the advice is not lost on Emeka Alozie, a tyre seller at Ladipo Market and his colleagues, who have since step up their game to retain their old customers.

    To Emeka and his friends, it is a winning strategy that would not only increase sales, but also help build customer base, which is why they are shifting sales focus from attracting new customers to enticing proven ones to buy again.

    Other retailers and major shopping malls are also devising strategies to retain their customers’ loyalty. For instance, at the Palms in Lekki, a woman who was shopping at a retail house wares store, had picked an item and was contemplating whether or not to buy it when a salesperson approached her and said: “I see you’re interested in that blender; we’re having a sale next week and all our blenders will be 20 per cent off.”

    Some retailers, particularly the small ones, who spoke with The Nation Shopping, said they would rather work hard on retaining their existing and loyal customers than scramble for new ones.

    According to them, they want to be able to create clear and obvious difference between regular customers and other customers. To them, there should be something their  regular customers should perceive as showing that they (retailers) value them either in form of reduced prices or free bees.

    Another potent strategy retailers are dangling before old customers to retain their loyalty, it was learnt, is the distribution of free samples including samples of other products when a product is bought. By doing this, the thinking is that shifting sales focus to enticing customers makes increasing sales easier and also help build customer loyalty that results in repeat sales.

  • Winners emerge in mall’s ‘Mad Dash Promo’

    Winners emerge in mall’s ‘Mad Dash Promo’

    Ten winners have emerged at the just-concluded Ikeja City Mall 60 seconds ‘Mad Dash Promo.’ The promo, the thirdin the series, organised to reward loyal customers this year, was fun-filled.

    The winners emerged at a raffle draw. They emerged through the lucky dip by store representatives of Etisalat and Foschini. The winners were told via telephone calls to show up the following day at the mall for their prizes. Afterwards, they were taken through the promo process to ensure clarity. Each of them were given 60 seconds to dash into their choice store and pick any item not more than N10,000.

    The lucky winners were Mrs. Olayinka Onatola, Janet Orekoya, Ben Tobilade, Yusuph Abdulrahman, Omeka Victoria, Ope, and Toyosi Kuti.

    Othere were Michael Okafor, Femi Aiyegbusi and Olayide Shiyanbade.

    The winners  shared their experiences with  The Nation Shopping. Onatola said she grudgingly acceded to her daughter’s request to participate in the promo, bought a phone from Samsung and submitted her receipt. She was sceptical about the promo, but due to her daughter’s persistence, she finally gave in and when it was time to redeem her prize, she bought toys worth N10, 000 from the Lego shop for her daughter.

    On her part, Orekoya gave an intriguing story of how she participated in the promo, saying that earlier in the month, she came into the mall to shop at Da Viva, a clothing retailer, but the store had not opened for business so, she bought from Truworths instead. After emerging as one of the lucky winners, Orekoya said she decided to visit Da Viva store again, but this time with her free shopping voucher.

    To enter for the promo, shoppers who spent N10, 000 or above in any of the stores were directed by Brand Ambassadors to drop their receipts in the boxes designated at the three entrances to the mall. Collation of receipts started onMay 19 and ended nine days later.

    The mall, which remains one of the choice destinations for leisure, entertainment and shopping, promised to continue its reward programmes to loyal shoppers.

  • Boulos Foods to launch fruit drinks June 19

    A major player in the market, Group Boulos, through its subsidiary, Boulos Foods and Beverages, is storming the market with its blend of fruit drinks to ease the tension for consumers who not only love drinks in Ikeja, Lagos on June 19.

    Boulos Foods and Beverages’s flagship brand is Mamia Tomato Paste, a double concentrated tomato paste, made from the best quality tomatoes using advanced processing technology. It was introduced into the market in November, last year.

    Mamia comes in a unique ‘easy to open and use package’ that is different from what is obtainable in the market.

    The unique brands namely, Frootzy (Fruit Juice) and Frootz (Fruit Nectar) are targeted at different age groups in the society.

    Frootzy is targeted at school age children and teens, while Frootz, which is basically nectar, is targeted at grownups. Due to the need to enhance the health of consumers by providing high quality, healthy and refreshing fruit nectars and juices, Frootz and Frootzy are introduced into the market to meet the wide yearning of the consumers.

    The products come in quality packages that leave no room for leakages as experienced generally in packaged drinks, with better taste. Most of the fruit drinks in the market are five per cent or less concentrates, but this is 10 per cent concentrates, which literally mean it contains less water.

    Frootzy, which is for kids is packaged in a 200ml pouch, with a piercing straw concealed in the package to avoid possible contact with foreign bodies, while the nectar, Frootz is available in 250ml flexi pouch with unique cap/cover.

    “To extend the reach of the people by providing socially responsible and healthy consumable products is part of our company’s corporate philosophy. To this end, the company plans to roll out wide range of innovative and refreshing consumer goods into the Nigeria market before the end of the year. While different variants of the fruit drinks will also be introduced into the market at a pocket friendly price, they will be positioned to ensure availability and accessibility for everyone,” an official of the company said.

     

  • Jumia celebrates best month of performance

    Jumia celebrates best month of performance

    • Opens staff training school

    Jumia Nigeria has celebrated her highest sales since inception. This, according to the company, was the result of unrelenting hard work and dedication from the team.

    To compensate members of the team for their efforts, there was an award ceremony to recognise, motivate and empower team members. To continue the celebration of the team’s achievement, a team bonding event was also held to further enhance a team spirit within the Jumia sales force.

    Head of Sales Force, Jumia Nigeria Hajar Ohusin, said: “With the continuous efforts of each sales force members, the team is getting stronger and stronger especially now that we are reaching into more cities and even smaller towns across the country.

    “Jumia Nigeria invests quality time and intensive training in each employee and as a result, members of staff are highly motivated and driven. There are also other empowerment initiatives such as coaching and mentoring programmes, resulting in great output.”

    Jumia plans to expand and recruit more people to join the team outside Lagos and Abuja. There is a constant growth within the Jumia sales force. One of the aims of this is to empower and motivate young people, instill entrepreneurial skills in them for better national economic growth.

    Also, Jumia, an employer of over 1,000 staff, has introduced a new programme to empower staff.The company, which was launched in 2012 with only five staff, has since expanded with over 1000 staff across the country. The staff level cuts across various departments, with an average age of 27. The company has been adjudged as one of the most exciting workplaces to be in Nigeria, having grown a culture of employing some of the most talented and skilled minds in the industry.

    Job creation has been one of Nigeria’s biggest problems and Jumia seeks to help with employing and empowering members of staffs with tools and processes that will prepare them for a greater future. The company’s training school seeks to train employees to be future entrepreneurs with start-up ideas to grow the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs) industry and technology industry in Nigeria. This was why as part of its commitment to empower Nigerians Jumia launched it’s Jumia Academy.

    Co-Chief Executive Officer Jumia Nigeria, Nicolas Martin, said: “Jumia Nigeria will continue to grow with the help of the best talents in Nigeria, employing the largest workforce in the online retail industry, which is growing by the day with the aim of grooming employees to be the next generation of CEOs with intensive training at the Jumia Academy.

    The Academy, has over 100 ‘Jumians’ trained for various skills and areas of work.

    Head of the Academy, Sarah Carzim, spoke about the Academy. ”From the onset our mission was to find ways to help staff grow within the company. After months of hard work, Feedback and research in-house, we were able to find a way to empower staff through the ‘Jumia Academy’. It is not very often you find this in a new company but the aim is to pave the way for Jumians and also potential Jumians to be the best they can be,” she said.

    The institution is said to be continuous for every Jumian including new members of staff, giving them the opportunity to reach the top level and become managers in the near future within or outside Jumia.

     

  • ‘Dugbe Market is rave of the moment’2

    ‘Dugbe Market is rave of the moment’2

    Located inside Ibadan Central District in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital is Dugbe Market. It has over the years, emerged the nerve centre of Ibadan’s transport and trading network, attracting traders from far and near. The market, which began operation, first at Ekotedo, stocks consumables and household items.

    When The Nation Shopping visited the market at the weekend, a regular visitor to the market, Mr. Benjamin Ilemobayo, bought a 4.5-inch bed. He said he was confident buying from Dugbe Market.

    Mrs. Idowu Ojo, one of the traders, said despite the siting of shopping malls close to the market, she still records huge sales. “People still patronise me knowing that as far as Ibadan is concerned, Dugbe market is the most important,” she said.

    However, Joy Okafor, who sells children wears, said she hasn’t been making much sales since the entry of Shoprite and Mr Price, as customers now see things differently. “People believe items sold inside those shops are better than what they use to buy from me,” she said.

  • ‘Why Nigerians shop abroad’

    ‘Why Nigerians shop abroad’

    Many wealthy individuals prefer shopping abroad to patronising Nigerian malls. What is surprising to many is whether this trend results from better deals offered by such upscale malls in places such as the United Kingdom, Dubai and Paris or a manifestation of status symbol? TONIA ‘DIYAN writes.

    Undoubtedly, Nigerians, especially the wealthy ones, love shopping. However, they love doing their shopping abroad.

    Their penchance for shopping abroad does not indicate that the items they need are not available in local shops.  It also does not indicate that the prices of the items they desire are extremely exorbitant.

    Again, there is no indication that the products they need are of low quality. Perhaps, they prefer shopping abroad to prove their social standing or as  status symbol.

    This has been a source of worry to policy makers and economic planners who see such attitude as an act of sabotage to the growth and development of local industries that into the production of such goods that Nigerians go abroad to purchase.

    Worried by this demeaning attitude, economic experts maintain that the country’s economy will remain under-developed if Nigerians continue to patronise foreign goods to the detriment of the locally manufactured ones.

    One of the experts in the hospitality industry, John Obayuwana, insists that “the current consumption of luxury goods by Nigerians in shopping destinations such as Paris, Dubai, and UK shows the spending power of Nigerians in the luxury sector.”

    Obayuwana, who is the founder and Managing Director of Polo Luxury Group, disclosed that wealthy Nigerians have a huge appetite for luxury goods from shops abroad.

    He spoke at this year’s  ‘Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit’ held at the St. Regis Hotel in Mexico City. He explained that the preference Nigerians exhibit when consuming luxury goods abroad is because “in Nigeria, customers are not just looking for logos; they are looking for quality and great service.”

    Admitting that opportunities exist for international luxury brands in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, he said there are several challenges that have inhibited the luxury goods industry in Nigeria from expanding. He listed such challenges to include, but not limited to lack of power supply, high cost of operation, lack of human capital and lack of retail infrastructure.

    A report by Reuters corroborated his views about Nigerians’ penchant for shopping abroad. The reportrated Nigerians as the fourth biggest foreign spenders in UK, as they spend an average of £500 in each shop where they make purchases –four times the spending power of an average UK shopper.

    Reuters also stated that the widespread corruption and debilitating infrastructure that plague Nigeria–including daily power blackouts that are smoothed over by millions of generators – push up the costs of running businesses here, making most people to dependent on informal market-style retail.

    This is why holidaying or visiting relatives abroad is increasingly open to millions of middle-class Nigerians, with the number of visitors to the UK increasing by more than 50 per cent to 142,000 a year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

    Obayuwana, however, stressed the importance of paying attention to the middle-class in order to ensure the sustainable development of the luxury goods industry in Nigeria. He said despite the dearth of infrastructure, Lagos alone could generate $2-3 billion in luxury sales.

    As a result of the increasing tendency of Nigerians to shop abroad,a Nigerian woman, for instance, would stock up everything she needs for the next six months on her twice-yearly visits to Dubai or any other country. She would basically carry out food shopping in Nigeria. One of such women who often does her shopping in Dubai is Ikeoluwa Adebayo, a Geologist with a Lagos-based firm. She believes that everything in Dubai is better both in terms of price and originality compared to what is sold in Nigeria markets or shops.  She said: “It’s not that you can’t get these things in Nigeria, but made in China goods have taken over and you can’t always vouch for their quality.”

    However, forAdebayo and other Nigerians who may have been driven by the search for quality and competitive prices to shop abroad, ongoing effort by relevant authorities to ensure the application of international standards in the retail luxury industry in Nigeria is certainly a welcome development.

    The ‘Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit’ is focused on the economies and the luxury industry of Turkey and Africa. The event attracted senior executives, industry leaders, brand experts, executives and decision makers in the luxury industry such as Designer and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OBE, Stella McCartney; Founder of Christian Louboutin, Christian Louboutin; President of Carolina Herrera, Caroline Brown; CEO of Italia Independent, Lapo Elkann; and Executive Chairman of the Estée Lauder Companies.

    Others were William Lauder; President of Bottega Veneta, Marco Bizzarri and Fashion Director and Chief Fashion Critic of the New York Times, Vanessa Friedman, including Burak Celet and William Hutchings.

  • Shopping mall space supply to more than double

    Shopping mall space supply to more than double

    Supply of retail space in shopping malls is expected to more than double in the year to 11.7 million square feet in the top seven cities of the country compared to last year, according to a report by property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL).

    Last year, these seven cities – Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune – logged an estimated supply of around 5.2 million square feet, taking the total shopping mall stock to 76 million square feet (sq ft).

    According to the report on ‘Retail Real Estate’, India’s total shopping mall stock is likely to reach 87.7 million sq ft by 2014, representing an addition of 11.7 million sq ft of new supply this year.

    “In 2013, an estimated supply of around 5.2 million square feet was registered – a 22 per cent increase over last year’s supply of shopping mall space,” JLL India managing director (retail services) Pankaj Renjhen said.

    “Chennai led with 1.95 million square feet of supply in 2013, followed by Mumbai and Pune. In 2014, Delhi-NCR is expected to hold the dominant position in terms of expected net addition of shopping malls.”

    Among the seven cities, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai have been leading in terms having the highest concentration of shopping malls, accounting for 62 per cent of the total stock.

    Mr Renjhen said the year would witness increased supply of mall space as most of the retail projects were launched in 2009-10 and it takes four to five years to complete them.

    That apart, he said DLF’s large shopping mall of about two million sq ft in Noida would be operational next year.

    Highlighting an emerging trend in retail real estate, he said the average size of malls is likely to increase in the coming years, as developers are focusing on project sizes that allow for a critical mass in terms of offering various formats and categories under one roof.

    “In 2014, the average size of malls is estimated to be around 3,80,000 sq ft, which is expected to increase to 4,70,000 sq ft in 2015 and further increase to 6,60,000 sq ft in 2017,” he added.

    Mr Renjhen also mentioned about an increasing trend among upcoming malls to adopt a structured approach in planning, execution and launch.

    “The importance of formulating an optimal tenant mix to ensure the maximum utilisation of retail space is now recognised and accepted by almost all major mall developers,” he said.

    JLL said retailers are showing the highest interest in upcoming retail projects that offer not only a good location, but have been optimised in terms of design and trade and tenant mix.