Major
supermarkets now dot the Abuja landscape. But how do they rank in terms
of the total shopping experience? After repeated visits and using
different indicators, Kimberly Ward provides a guide
In
the beginning, only the open markets and the corner-shops catered to
the shopping needs of Abuja’s then minimal, transient population. Fast
forward to 2013 and the capital now boasts a host of large-scale,
all-purpose stores; from the mighty multi-national Shoprite to the
proudly Nigerian Sahad Stores. But which mega-store provides the best
customer service? Which has the largest parking area? And which is the
most affordable? We visited 12 supermarkets and rated them on various
aspects of the shopping experience.
Rating Code
5 – Excellent
4 – Good
3 – Average
2 – Poor
1 – Very Poor
DUNES
Address: 44, Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja
One
of the more accomplished and aesthetically-pleasing department stores,
Dunes – which shares a building with offices, a restaurant and a hotel –
attracts a clientele of higher-income earners, foreigners and tourists
who buy the mostly imported products in the civil and serene
environment.
Accessibility: The
Dunes multi-storied building is situated in the most expensive area of
Abuja and is easily sighted from the road. There’s a good-sized parking
area at the front and steps leading up to the neat entrance, though the
parking is shared with other businesses within the premises 3/5
In-store:
The exterior is chic and modern and the look is maintained inside with a
neat and stylish store with well-organised aisles and a composed system
of shelving, space and products. The restaurant towards the back
somewhat juts out onto the groceries section and you have to walk past
diners to get to the escalator-walkway leading up to the second floor,
which is neatly stocked with home furnishings and a gift store. The
checkout area is small but adequate and well-spaced. The atmosphere of
the store is one of serene professionalism. 5/5
Products and Prices:
The store stocks mostly foreign imports of both food and home items
with an inadequate array of local items, but the quality is high and the
home furnishings section upstairs contains unique products you won’t
find anywhere else in Abuja. However, the price is dearer than the
average supermarket. 3/5
Customer Service:
At the gates security personnel check each car with a bomb-detection
device, and inside staff presence was minimal but the staff were
pleasant when called upon. The cashier at the checkout was polite and
there was change available 4/5
TOTAL SCORE: 15/20
EXCLUSIVE STORES
Address: Plot 1202, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja
This
24 hour mega-store is a relatively new addition to the Abuja shopping
community and has a mix of shoppers perusing three floors laden with
grocery and home-ware.
Accessibility:
Located on the busiest road in Abuja, the store is both central and
easy to get to but the car-park at the front is smaller than average 4/5
In-store:
An awkward turnstile entrance leads to the main store where one of the
aisles is wrongly labelled ‘Savoury Snacks’ but has drinks on the
shelves. There is a restaurant towards the back and upstairs the
home-ware section is cluttered, with some shelves bent under the weight
of books piled high. The checkout area is tight and inadequate for the
volume of shoppers as the queues extends into the aisles. It is a busy
and noisy store downstairs but upstairs sees fewer customers 2/5
Products and Prices: There’s
a good variety of grocery products with a good store of both new and
second-hand books upstairs.Prices are a little dearer than the average 4/5
Customer Service:
Groups of workers sat around chatting or idle, and upstairs two
employees pricing items on a small table blocked most of one aisle. At
the checkout the cashier was helpful but distracted, talking with a
colleague throughout our transaction and didn’t have change. A
tired-looking employee sat next to the exit to check receipts. 2/5
TOTAL SCORE: 12/20
GARKI SUPERMARKET
Address: Plot 468, Ahmadu Bello Way, Abuja
Hidden
away inside a fenced enclosure housing 212 Bakery, Yahuza Suya and
other shops, Garki Supermarket – one of two in Abuja – is a laid-back,
medium-sized store with a distinctly Northern feel: it is closed between
12 – 2pm on Friday afternoons for prayers and stocks Northern
delicacies.
Accessibility:
Off a central main road but somewhat tucked away at the back of the
fenced-in shopping centre, it is easy to miss. Cars can be parked
anywhere around the large but untarred square but there’s a dedicated
parking area in front of the supermarket itself 2/5
In-store:
Men selling recharge cards line the entrance, and inside there are wide
aisles packed with products on shelves and household goods section
where items are arranged on the floor. The interior is neat and the two
checkout points are on opposite sides to deter over-crowding. Prices are
hand-written on masking tape stuck on the shelves below items 3/5
Products and Prices: An average selection of affordable products including home and electrical with a variety of Northern delicacies including Alkaki which is not available elsewhere 4/5
Customer Service:
No security to check any cars and non-uniformed staff – all male –
dotted the store, making it hard to tell the customers from store
employees. The checkout person was pleasant but aloof and change was
available 3/5
TOTAL SCORE: 12/20
GRAND SQUARE
Address: Plot 270, Muhammadu Buhari Way, Central District, Abuja
Described
as the ‘Most modern shopping mall in Nigeria,’ Grand Square has over
100 staff and is popular across Abuja for its famous ‘Grand Loaf’ as
well as its variety of ice-cream flavours. The store attracts a mixed
crowd of shoppers and the atmosphere is usually busy and noisy.
Accessibility: Central and easy to get to, Grand Square also has a good sized-car park 5/5
In-store:
You have to walk past the busy checkout area to get into the sizeable
interior, and the aisles are on the narrow-side. The grocery area is
downstairs and a climb up the (threadbare carpeted) stairs leads to the
perfume store, busy photo-studio and other specialist stores upstairs,
where a central balcony looks down on the products and customers
downstairs. The store is tidy but the checkout area is small and often
cramped 3/5
Products and Prices: Wide
range of products with a large variety of both grocery, electrical and
specialist items, including musical instruments and generators, although
price-wise it is on the expensive side 4/5
Customer Service:
Groups of employees hung around the store chatting, and the checkout
staff did not smile, made no eye-contact and gave no greeting, I also
had to move to two different stations before I could get change and
checkout my items 3/5
TOTAL SCORE: 15/20
H MEDIX
Address: Plot 48, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja, Nigeria
What
started as a pharmacy over 10 years ago has grown into a well-known
retail mart with four branches in Abuja selling a wider variety of
products, but still limited to beauty and health items. This store is
small but neat and attracts a mix of people.
Accessibility:
This branch is located on the busiest road in Abuja. The entrance area
is busy with hawkers and the car-park in front is quite close to the
store’s doors and only big enough for around 10 cars, leading to queues,
long waiting times and clashes with other drivers 3/5
In-store:
A small supermarket, with a beauty and household items area downstairs
along tight aisles, and a modestly-stocked pharmacy upstairs. The
entrance/exit is also a squeeze to navigate but the store is tidy and
neatly arranged. Check-out is a high counter by the exit 3/5
Products and Prices: Affordable but limited to health, beauty and bathroom items 4/5
Customer Service:
There were uniformed door-openers and store employees seated at the end
of the small aisles who stared at you as you walk by. The checkout
counter was manned by non-uniformed staff and there was confusion and
pushing-in due to lack of imposed order. Service was rushed and having
to wait for change to be provided by another employee sitting behind the
cashiers was inadequate. 3/5
TOTAL SCORE: 13/20
LEGENDS OF ABUJA
Address: 27, Port Harcourt Crescent, Off Gimbiya Street, Garki Area 11, Abuja
A
modest supermarket tucked away on a side street of a main road, Legends
is one of the earliest retailers in Abuja and many of its clientele are
loyal customers who have been shopping there for years. The small store
makes up in charm and character what it lacks in variety and
prominence.
Accessibility:
Situated on a quiet side street, Legends has a very small car park at
the front with space for only around 20 cars. The store’s main signage
is tiny and obscured by foliage 2/5
Decor:
The store is all on one level and feels cramped with aisles unevenly
arranged, boxes piled high and other products stacked haphazardly on the
floors. Access to the fridge area is almost totally blocked by items
for sale but the store is clean and the two checkout desks are easily
accessible. The atmosphere is calm and laid-back 3/5
Products and Prices: Limited amount of basic goods and some of the products – which are slightly on the expensive side – have no price tabs 2/5
Customer Service:
There were a few non-uniformed staff around and it was hard to tell
customers from employees, but all the employees were friendly and eager
to help, the cashier was pleasant and change was available 5/5
TOTAL SCORE: 12/20
NEXT CASH AND CARRY
Address: Ahmadu Bello Way, Kado, Abuja
Opened
with fanfare in 2013, Next Cash and Carry is an awe-inspiring edifice
situated on 34, 000 square metres of land with a large car park at the
front. Similar in style to Walmart or Costco, it stocks almost
everything you need for life and is the largest supermarket in Abuja, if
not Nigeria.
Accessibility:
Located off a not-very-busy, dual-carriage way away from the city
centre, the supermarket is easy to get to and the prominent building and
signage is easy to spot. The car park is spacious and well-organised
with space for 400 vehicles. 5/5
Decor:
A ramp leads up to the wide entrance that leads into a sprawling area
all on one floor with very high ceilings and numerous wide aisles, with
goods either stacked high or placed on low wooden planks on the ground.
The product sections are clearly marked and include a pharmacy, eatery
and bakery, but the butchery is empty. The un-tiled floors are cracked
and uneven, with electric wiring visible and in the way of customers.
The store is clean if haphazard and its sheer size and amount of stock
adds to the wow factor. Around 40 check-out points are arranged at the
front of the store leading to a smooth exit, but there are no shopping
baskets, only large shopping trolleys are available. 3/5
Products and Prices:
Huge selection of products from household items and home furnishings to
clothing and jewellery, electrical appliances, music and books. Items
are pricier than average but the popular bread is only N200 4/5
Customer Service:
There were uniformed guards at the gate to check each car coming in, a
guard stationed at the bakery to organise the bread queues and pleasant
uniformed staff available throughout the store. The checkout staff were
friendly and change was available 5/5
TOTAL SCORE: 17/20
PARK AND SHOP
Address: 740, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja
One
of the oldest supermarkets in Abuja, Park and Shop is owned by Artee
group, the same company behind Spar which has its stores all over
Nigeria. The clientele consists of average to low-income shoppers.
Accessibility: Centrally located on a busy but easily accessible road but the parking area is tiny. 4/5
In-store:
There are two shopping floors but the groceries area downstairs is
small with narrow, unkempt aisles, some of which are inhospitable due to
gathered trash on the floor and mop-buckets in the way. The checkout
area is cramped and prone to overcrowding 3/5
Products and Prices: There is a limited range of inexpensive products with a wide variety of bread: cassava, salted and family loaves 4/5
Customer Service:
Security and uniformed staff stood or sat around the store talking and
shouting to each other from across the aisles. At the checkout the
cashier made no eye contact, gave no greeting and was having a
conversation with a colleague throughout our transaction 2/5
TOTAL SCORE: 13/20
SAHAD STORES
Address: Plot 1512, Uke Street, Ahmadu Way, Area 11, Abuja
This
Nigerian-owned supermarket is an enduring mainstay of the city and has
branches in Kano and Jigawa. The superstore – which is usually busy and
chaotic – sits on four floors packed with a large array of local and
familiar products to satisfy the average to low-income clientele.
Accessibility:
Good, central location but the parking area is disorderly leading to
confusion and long queues despite the parking guards and a two-level car
park. 3/5
In-store:
The lower-level car park entrance is cluttered with loiters and
hawkers, and inside the store is large and brash with little attention
paid to style. There is no signage around and products spill out of
shelves and line the floor, with the clothes and jewellery section
lacking structure in terms of arrangement. Empty boxes are piled high in
some corners and the sheer volume of products available is apparent
with huge bags of rice and other grains kept in stairwells and along
corridors. The checkout area is a high counter and the general
atmosphere is one of chaos and carelessness 3/5
Products and Prices: A huge array of local products (some of doubtful quality) at cheap, affordable prices 4/5
Customer Service:
No checking at the gates and inside the non-uniformed staff were
inattentive, with one completing his phone call before attending to a
customer. The checkout staff were aloof but efficient. However, the lack
of imposed order led to confusion as to who should be served first and
by whom 2/5
TOTAL SCORE: 12/20
SEKMART
Address: 1, Salome Close, Games Village, Abuja
This
is a dedicated store for residents of Games Village but a mixed
clientele of outsiders come for the convenience and availability of
certain imported products not available elsewhere
Accessibility:
Not central or well-known due to its hidden location within an estate
thus the small parking area around the store is adequate for a less-busy
estate supermarket. 3/5
In-store:
Unattractive exterior with non-descript entrance and exit doors, but
inside is spacious, brightly-lit and neat with open spaces and wide
aisles grouped together in sections. The freezer and fruit division is
within a room on one side of the mega-mart and there is also a separate
wine section. The checkout is well spaced out to avoid queues 4/5
Products and Prices: Agood
range of imported products, some of which cannot be purchased elsewhere
in Abuja, with a variety of fresh produce, books and electronics
slightly pricier than the average 3/5
Customer Service:
Security guards were stationed around the store but groups of employees
stood around talking. The service at the cashier was pleasant and
polite and there was change 4/5
TOTAL SCORE: 14/20
SHOPRITE
Address: Grand Towers Mall, Plot 232 Murtala Mohamed Expressway, Apo, Abuja
Opened
with fanfare in 2012, the South African supermarket chain is located in
a newly-built mall in Apo housing KFC and other established stores,
with two ATMs for added convenience. The mega-store draws a mixed
clientele of higher-income shoppers, foreigners and tourists.
Accessibility:
Located away from the city centre off a very busy single-lane road
servicing various estates, the journey to Shoprite is stressful due to
long queues, some of it caused by car-boot security checks at the gate.
But the mall’s car park is large enough for 400 cars. 2/5
In-store:
Steps lead up to the well-lit, neatly-stacked and well-labelled wide
aisles with printed price tags on the shelves with a colourful fruit
section, deli and bakery, all on-par with standard supermarket decor
abroad. There are numerous checkouts at the front of the well-planned
store. 5/5
Products and Prices: A wide selection of both local and imported products that is cheaper than you’ll expect from a large multi-national. 5/5
Customer Service:
Uniformed employees dotted the store with security guards at the doors.
Service at the tills was pleasant but aloof, with lots of small change
available. 4/5
TOTAL SCORE: 16/20
SPAR
Address: Plot 264, Tafawa Balewa Way, Central District Area, Abuja
Located
inside Ceddi Plaza – a plush six-storey shopping mall –, Spar benefits
from contemporary facilities including lifts, an underground car park
and ATMs located within the building, alongside several other businesses
including restaurants and a cinema.
Accessibility:
Central location with its signage prominently displayed on the
multi-storey Ceddi Plaza building. The mall car park is spacious and
organised with taxi drivers readily available outside. 5/5
In-store:
Inside is well-lit with clean aisles and shelves, although some
products were not labelled. To the right and up a ramp is the freezer
section, then the bakery section, but there is inadequate signage
directing shoppers to the checkout and the exit as you have to walk
around the store and to the back to reach it. There are five small
checkout stations that are a squeeze to navigate. 3/5
Products and Prices:
A good stock of groceries and electrical products and the bakery
section has a large variety of baked goods, all at inexpensive prices. 4/5
Customer Service:
Uniformed guards at the gate checked each car but cashiers at the tills
were grumpy and unfriendly, my item wasn’t bagged and the cashier had
no change and was at first reluctant to go and get it, before grudgingly
collecting some from her colleague. 2/5
TOTAL SCORE: 14/20
And
the winner is… Next Cash & Carry, which comes tops for the sheer
variety of goods available, accessibility, parking space and good
customer service.
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