By Bisola Oloyede
Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has evolved as a fully fledged city. Its urban outlook has been elevated. City amenities have also more than doubled in the last four years with many more modern supermarkets springing up to resonate fond memories of the defunct Leventis Stores by Cocoa House, Dugbe.
But as the supermarkets grow in number, only a few of them fit the description of city stores.
In this report, Newspeakonline.com takes a look at the lot and brings out top five supermarkets that are customers’ delight especially when it comes to one thing that appears on our to-do list week after week, groceries shopping!
While visiting the store might be tedious, it is inevitable if you don’t want to starve.
We all have a love-hate relationship with the supermarket. But anyone who has shopped at more than one knows that some supermarkets are better than others.
When you enter a crowded supermarket with unfriendly employees, narrow isles, pocket draining prices, limited variety of products and a long check-out time, you know you are in for a miserable experience.
So, if you live in Ibadan and its environs, here are top five supermarkets you might want to patronize.
FOODCO
Fondly refered to as ‘shoppers favorite,’ Foodco operates in five different locations in Ibadan – Bodija, Jericho, Idi-Ape, Monatan and Heritage Mall at Dugbe. With its benchmark for success rooted in operating quality stores, it has grown over time to become one of the largest groceries and toiletries stores in Ibadan. With pocket-friendly prices aimed at pleasing their customers, Foodco caters towards high-end shoppers.
The store is always among the first to offer discounts at festive seasons. For cheaper products like Peak milk refill (500g), tin (small and big), Goodmorning Cornflakes, kelloggs products, Indomie noodles (small),Ariel detergent, Jik and Hypo bleach, Foodco is the better choice.
Also, for freshly baked pastries and food quality, its restaurant assures you of a good meal. With an in-store bakery, Foodco continues to be known for its quality bread and customer service. Fruits like banana, apple, avocado pears, red grape are also available in large quantity.
CRAN
Located at Challenge in Ibadan, CRAN is the one of the oldest supermarkets on our list. It is a combination of a pharmacy and groceries store. The store is known for quality products and relatively fair prices. You do not need to worry about buying fake and expired products in the store. For recently produced groceries such as Ovaltine, Bournvita, Bird Custard, Blue Band butter (Nigeria), Golden Penny spaghetti, CRAN is a good place to shop.
With a lot of brand of different products competing for your attention in the store, there is a colourful array of options to choose from. CRAN has a legacy for outstanding customer service. So, you are assured of a good experience while shopping.
FEEDWELL
Situated at Ajibade area of Mokola in Ibadan, Feedwell has thrived with the philosophy of offering customers products they want to buy at fair prices through the belief that no deal is a good deal unless it is good for everyone concerned. With its pocket-friendly prices for almost all their goods, it has become a one-stop convenience store.
Products such as Milo refill (500g), Milo tin (big and small), Indomie (small), Geisha, Real Milk refill, Omo Detergents 1kg, Lemon Fresh Dish wash (big), come at cheaper rates at the store.
Feedwell has an impressive structure, with the goods well displayed and in sections. The wine and drink section is the first, with local and foreign products. If you want choice wine and liquor, Feedwell is the place to indulge yourself. Drinks such as Coke (50cl and 1lit) and Fayrouz (can and bottle) are also available in packs. The employees are friendly and known to pay compliments every now and then. Feedwell provides a unique shopping experience you won’t get anywhere else.
GRANDEX
Grandex has been in existence for the past nine years but it recently expanded operations in Ibadan. Grandex supermarket has carved
a niche for itself as the ideal store for quality groceries, gift items and cost- effective shopping experience. With its two stores located at the Palms Shopping Mall along Ring Road and the other perching on the plot opposite Afe Babalola Study Centre at Oshuntokun junction at Bodija, the pace at which it is growing is impressive.
The store boasts of a wide variety of local and foreign products of different brands, making them a popular option in Ibadan and its environs. But its strength lies in variety of foreign products on offer. These brands also come at competitive prices.
Coffee products such as Coffee mate (Big and small), Nescafe Classic, Kenco (decaf), Gold are available in large quantity. For the cheapest of toiletries, soap (Premier, Dettol, safeguard), air freshners (Glade, Airwick, Ambi pur), check out the store. Varieties of shaving creams and powder for men are equally available such as Veets (small), Gillette and Magic. Groceries like Indomie noodles, Golden penny spaghetti are also available in packs and cartons. Grandex has the upper hand, their check out time is unbeatable in Ibadan. The parking lot is spacious and designed with customers convenience in mind.
SHOPRITE
The largest chain store in Africa started its operation in Nigeria in December 2005 when it opened its first outlet at the Palms Shopping Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. It has since expanded into different states in Nigeria including Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Its first entry into Ibadan was in June 2013 at the Cocoa Mall. Afterwards, it opened another outlet, undoubtedly the biggest in West Africa, at The Palms Mall, Ring Road, Ibadan.
Shoprite’s winning philosophy is to offer customers a convenient shopping experience in a clean store where customers can be sure to pay their lowest prices on their basic food and household items. This has indubitably helped it to gain the reputation of “Nigeria’s favourite supermarket”.
Shoprite’s huge flow of loyal customers can be attributed to its ability to offer different range of products at the highest level of freshness and quality. A basis of attraction to the store is its seasonal promo on products. At the period of Ramadan, beverages came cheaper. Products such as Lipton, cookies, Ovaltine refill, different milk products, chocolates came at good deals. Also, drinks such as can and plastic coke come cheaper. Without the promo, shoprite still retains its lower prices mantra. Groceries such as Indomie noodles (small, 100g and hungry man size), Nescafe classic (tin), Quaker oats refill, Dangote and Golden penny spaghetti, Titus sardine and Geisha (Can food), Blue band butter ( small and big),toiletries (Always sanitary pad big and small), Airwick air freshener, Omo 1kg, Fairy dishwash, Dax hair cream are best bought at the store.
For convenience and easy identification, the store is marked out with labels on what each section houses. The structure is such that the toiletries’ isles cannot be mistaken for that of household items. Men’s toiletries are neatly seperated from that of women as well.
Although it boasts of a wide range of local and international brands, for a store of its size and fame, many favorite local and foreign brands are not available in the store.
Variety is the spice of life. Popular local and foreign products such as Mamador oil, st Louis sugar, Kenco coffee, Bird custard, Nasco and Good Morning cornflakes and a variety of other brands are not available.
The store has convenient trading hours for busy shoppers and a large parking space.
