India's Shopping Centre Revolution: Job Creation! Possible In Nigeria, Too?

India is presently undergoing a consumer revolution with huge shopping malls opening throughout the country. In 1991 when they first openend their economy a lot has happened since then. In the 70's and 80's India was asolutely poor but in the course of the years it grew richer and richer in the 90's and especially from 2000 onwards.

The signs are also a consumer revolution taking place with THOUSANDS of new jobs being created. Do you think that is possible in Nigeria, too? Do not forget that you didn´t even find a simple coke bottle in India in the early 90's, these times are gone

When will our consumer revolution take place? People in Nigeria are very brand-conscious and we Nigerians even have good designers but the need to move into world-class shoping malls like these in India is essential in order to attain international recognition. I found these pictures <<source>> while skimming through the website.

have a look! many more malls are under construction

A mall in Hyderabad:


Two malls in Bangolore:






These are a couple of Bombay´s malls:











These are the new Delhi Malls: they really look great. I hope we get those in our beloved motherland soon, too

Shame! The whole world has left Nigeria behind!

it's not the beauty of the shopping centers that matters. it's about how much people's lives are impacted positively. If you are building massive complexes but your people are dying of hunger, something is wrong somewhere.

@Nwoke,
I agree. Since you have never even seen one of such malls, you have no idea the impact such investments can have on the nation.

Agreed. Imagine if Lagos alone had ten of such malls, we'd be talking of generating a good 10 000 and above jobs. Imagine the amount of revenue lagos would generate in taxes and VAT.
It would be sure to attract foreign investments. All our "rich" nigerians who travel to london and the USA to do their "summer shopping" would spend their money here and it would greatly reduce capital flight.

Think about the huge benefits. All it requires is stable social infrastructure and an enabling environment.

I hear Nigeria has a new Mall in Lekki/VI Area. Does anyone have Pictures of The Palms mall. I also agree that these malls impact people positively. You employ Thousands to Build, the retail stores employs thousands and the people in and around the mall are given quality goods and people do not have to travel out of the country to buy things. In other words spend the money you give to British Airways, the money you spend on the London Underground, and on Food, Taxes, Hotel, in the UK or US or Dubai ETC in your own country. Now this also gives Nigerians, Goods and Services of world class standards.Instead of the fake/imitated products we buy in our local markets.

One of the reasons why things are so expensive in nigeria is because we are a consumer nation. we import everything from toothpicks to cloth buttons. Of course the ports do not make things easier as the cost of importation is already going through the roof; the result is the high cost of importation, inflation (horrible exchange rate) is passed unto the poor consumer.

With these new malls, we'd have more foreign investments, there is no reason why the US has macdonalds, starbucks, walmart and other chains stores in China and not in nigeria. These are huge money spinners any day. it may be an effective way of reducing cost of goods, reduce inflation, create jobs, drive other investments e.g housing.

Pictures of palms mall, lekki lagos.

Thanks for the pictures.Where can i get more pictures of that mall? Is it call shoprite or The Palms? What stores or Brands are there? The building looks like an overstated Library. I was thinking pictures with glass curtains and brand name stores. I hear they have a wrangler store there. I would like to know more about that mall, IE Prices, traffic, number of stores ETC. Is there a website i can look at?

sorry old glory, i got those picture off http://www.thepalmsshopping.com/

i don't live in nigeria so i have never seen the mall. Those are the only pictures as at present. i hear it's only 10% completed so there's still a lot of work to be done.

the thing is u see all these beauties but somehwre in india there are actually some places that are experiencing extreme poverty and these? sham!

@ Nigeria, thats only in Lagos, its not focussed on other cities in Nigeria where hardship. u want everyone to migrate to india or Lagos?. all u have to do is make life worth living for people livin in other cities

Apart from being beautiful  these centre/shopping complex provide massive employement either part-time or full time, students, proffessionals,cleaners,builders,

and product prices would definately be competitive!!!

what do u expect an ugly building? it makes the areas they are built in more appealing therefore more revenue either from government or private companies are pumped into the area !!

you dont have to be a business person to know all these, there are positives and negatives but the negatives can be minimised IF lessons are learned from placed like india,U.S,UK and other place

nike4luv:

the thing is u see all these beauties but somehwre in india there are actually some places that are experiencing extreme poverty and these? sham!

@ Nigeria, thats only in Lagos, its not focussed on other cities in Nigeria where hardship. u want everyone to migrate to india or Lagos?. all u have to do is make life worth living for people livin in other cities

There are areas of extreme poverty in China, there are homeless pple in America and the UK. There are areas of poverty in Japan; does this make these nations any less the economic and millitary giants they are?

Russia is probably going thru their own version of the great depression, they have problems of rebel militias yet not even America will take Russia any lightly.

At least India has started from somewhere and today Nigeria is no where near india in terms of technology and economy. India now builds her own cars, trains, ships, they have nuclear arms. Yes there are areas f extreme poverty but steadily and slowly they are working themselves to the top.

What do nigerians do? Pooh pooh everything as sham "because there are also areas of extreme poverty" and continue wallowing in their underdevelopment. Not every body will migrate to Lagos but at least such will serve as a catalyst for other states to borrow a leaf!

i'm loving their malls. they even got rubgy tuesday, baskin robins and all those shops tthat we see here. wow. but we don't really have any of these american shops in naija.

Davidylan, I perfectly agree with you and I am happy that this subject has captured the interest of the forumers. If Nigeria adds more malls like Asian countries such as Malaysia or india is doing that would have an enormous economic benefit for our country and even in terms of our country´s standing (entertainment etc.). NIGERIA, OUR BELOVED MOTHERLAND, is a very important oil producer without any consumers culture?, I never heard that!. How can small African nations like Kenya or Uganda build malls and Nigeria not? India´s growing middle-class is crazy about shopping. In former times they flew all abroad to make their shopping now they can do it in India. Same should/ MUST BE the case for Nigeria! Why do we need to shop at Marks and Spencer in the uK or at Gap in the US?? LET´S BRING THESE BRANDS AND OTHER FRANCHISE TO OUR BELOVED country: LET THE PALMS BE THE BEGINNING OF A NEW SHOPPING CENTRE REVOLUTION : IT WILL CREATE COMPETITION, JOBS, TAXES AND A LOT OF SHINE TO LAGOS AND OUR COUNTRY.

Please can someone post some more up-to-date photos of the mall from in- and outside as these photos only show a hypermarket and nothing else. Does the Palms have any glass facades, Marks and Spencer shops etc.?

Consumer culture brings prosperity? That is unsubstantiated. Did you mean debt culture?

Besides, we have a very healthy and robust retailing sector in Nigeria. We have the Computer Village Ikeja, the electronics village at Alaba, tejouso and oshodi markets, and hundreds of thousands of shops spread all over the country. A lot of jobs have already been created in these places.

Our markets may not be as shiny [/b]as mega-malls or technologically impressive, but when you visit them you can [b]get what you want. And talking about employment, are you suggesting that the thousands of traders and salespeople in our major markets (listed above) are not employed? Please!

The common man is concerned about basic necessities like electric power. We don't need shiny malls yet.

Nwoke, please, my brother , just understand THESE makeshift stores are good and Nigeria needs them. But they do also existe in India and China side by side with shiny mega-malls. You are talking about the informal sector but what Nigeria needs is more formal employment (jobs in construction and retail). How long should the South Africa for example continue to look down on us, eeehhh

Go to Venezuela a country of the size of Nigeria which prodeuces the same amount of oil than our country does but Caracas is clustered with nice malls; VISIT sOUTH AFRICA which is "poorer" than Nigeria (no oil and not as many natural ressouces ) than Nigeria but South African create thousand of shops for people in shopping malls throughout Durban Jo´burg, Cape town and Pretoria.

People going out for shopping does not help us. WE HAVE TO BRING MALLS TO NIGERIA. The plams have to be the beginning and not the end. Shopping malls adds shine and entertainement and more investors to more sectors , everything becomes more diversified, to put it plainly, , believe me this is how Asian countries developped. How long should Nigeria´s consumer culture be kept at bay?. people are as brand-conscious and cool as Asian people or South Africans. ABOVE ALL WEEL PAID JOBS WILL ARRIVE IN THOUSANDS ON THE SCENE AND NOT JUST INFORMAL SQUATTERS WHO ARE SELLING THEIR GOOD NEXT TO SMELLY GUTTERS!!!!

i thnk it is one of the ways of attracting tourist.

Nwoke, please, my brother , just understand THESE makeshift stores are good and Nigeria needs them. But they do also exist in India and China side by side with shiny mega-malls. You are talking about the informal sector but what Nigeria needs is more formal employment (jobs in construction and retail). How long should the South Africans for example continue to look down on us, eeehhh

Go to Venezuela a country of the size of Nigeria which produces the same amount of oil than our country does but Caracas is clustered with nice malls; VISIT sOUTH AFRICA which is "poorer" than Nigeria (no oil and not as many natural ressources and human potential/talent) than Nigeria, but South Africa has created thousand of jobs for people in shopping malls throughout Durban Jo´burg, Cape town and Pretoria.

People going out for shopping does not help us. WE HAVE TO BRING MALLS TO NIGERIA. The plams have to be the beginning and not the end. Shopping malls adds shine and entertainement and more investors to more sectors , everything becomes more diversified, to put it plainly, , believe me this is how Asian countries developped. How long should Nigeria´s consumer culture be kept at bay?. people are as brand-conscious and cool as Asian people or South Africans. ABOVE ALL WEEL PAID JOBS WILL ARRIVE IN THOUSANDS ON THE SCENE AND NOT JUST INFORMAL SQUATTERS WHO ARE SELLING THEIR GOOD NEXT TO SMELLY GUTTERS!!!!

Quote:"We do not need shiny malls yet" Please do not ban me Mr Nwoke, that has to be the funniest thing i have heard today. We do not need a high speed railway service, we do not need a world class duty free lounge in the National airport or even an amusement park or even a national zoo. We are shifting capital to go and shop in London,New York, Dubai,Zurich, Milan, Johannesburg ETC. Now when will Tejousho or Alaba or Ariaria market have the Italians or the British or the Americans,leave their countries just to come and shop? New York City makes Billions of dollars each year from tourist visiting the city just for shopping. Even with one of the highest sales tax in the US, people come from all over the world just to shop in Manhattan or neighboring New Jersey.

People come from all over the world to the Mall of America the biggest mall in the world, in Minnesota. Just to say that they have been. It doubles as a shopping complex and an a tourist site. There is a saying that goes" If you build it, they will come". Nigeria's infrastructure is in an appalling state, and we need something that encourages the public, creates jobs for the people and a tax revenue base for the government. That is simply what malls do. The force foreign investment into the country and create jobs and taxes for the host country. Example is Nando's in Lagos or Wrangler in Shoprite.

Old Glory,

thanks a lot for hiting the nail on its head! That is nothing more to add for my part! You summed it up all and you perfectly mirror the NEW genration of Nigerians: open-minded, smart, cosmopolitan without betraying the national heritage and business-minded (with the accent on quality/design instead of quantity), Thank you my brother!

Wow!!! Gee! Thanks Constantin, for the Kind words. I think it is simply the way forward. But you know that when we come out here we have to learn to see the world differently. Not everyone in Nigeria has travelled out nor have DSTV. I think we have to respect the local point of view, but at the same time we cannot remain stagnant. Nigeria seems like it is moving backwards instead of forward.

You've hit the nail on the head, haven't you? You want to have pretty places to visit when you come back to Nigeria on holidays - aka "tourism" - without regard to whether your pretty landmarks actually improve the lives of those of us that live in Nigeria. Your desires for Nigeria are quite selfish!

Nwoke, what has improvement of quality of life, well paid jobs, more quality etc. got to do with selfishness? Sorry but that transcends the scope of my imagination. Look at the malls how india is fighting its way out of poverty. THERE IS A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT EVEN BEYOND MALLS IN THE COUNTRY. To put it more BLUNTLY; YOU WILL ONLY MAKE POTENTIAL INVESTORS SHY AWAY WHEN PLACES LIKE THIS (see photo) is the only "way of development"

[img]https://www.paecivpol.com/images/photo_album/Monrovia,_Liberia.jpg[/img] THIS THING WON´T DEVELOP OUR COUNTRY, ooohh!!!!

Nwoke, THIS IS NOT AN INSULT BUT A FACT!

MY SINCERE AND SOLE WISH IS THAT OUR COUNTRY ADVANCES AND NOTHING ELSE

PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT TO ALL!!!

Well i think Naija is going somewhere if we car have somebody like Governor of Cross River State currently investing in a robust urban infrastructure upgrade programme. Calabar International Airport is currently under-utilised and has capacity to easily accommodate an increase in the number of flights unleashing the pent-up demand for trade and tourism in the region.
Tinapa will be located right next to the Calabar Free Port, serving as the main gateway to the northeastern markets of Nigeria. The proximity of the Free Port to its markets creates opportunities for it to become the regional hub for sea trade.

The African Premier Business Resort-TINAPA has been described as a viable project whose conceptualization by a dynamic and visionary Nigerian will transform the economic fortunes of the nation when it becomes operational


PHASE 1

The development of Tinapa will be in phases. Phase One will include specific components that will form the foundation of the development of a leisure tourism market in Nigeria . These components are:

a shopping complex comprising:
four wholesale emporiums
100 retail outlets
a food court with take-away outlets and
a communal sitting area
an administrative centre
parking for approximately 3,000 cars and coaches
an “entertainment strip” leading out of the shopping complex which will include:
a casino of international standard
five restaurants
a cinema complex with cinemas ranging from 104 to 340 seats each
a games arcade and ten-pin bowling alley
a children's play area
a fisherman's village comprising three themed bars, a themed nightclub and an arts and crafts village
300-room budget hotel
support services and amenities such as a sick bay, management offices, etc.
a warehouse cluster with five warehouses
Leisureland / Waterworld facility
Wave pool
Standing wave surfing
Lazy river ride
Water slides
Picnic area
Children's pool and children's play area
Tennis courts
Volleyball courts
Change room facilities
Lifeguard tower
Kiosks
Management offices




PHASE 2

Phase Two of the project will include the following:

a hotel and conference complex including:
a 200-room branded international four star hotel
a conference centre with a main ballroom seating up to 1,000 delegates
three boutique stores of 50m 2 floor space each
a business centre
a fitness centre
expansion of leisure and entertainment facilities to include:
water sports facilities
a quad biking track
an archery range
a clay pigeon shooting area
expansion of cultural and education components to include:
ten additional stalls with craft making area; and
a fisherman's wharf
expansion, restoration and upgrading of the existing Old Residency Museum in Calabar
PHASE 3

Phase Three will include the following components:

accommodation facilities including:
a 150-room branded international four-star hotel
a luxury beach lodge with 30 letting units
a luxury bush lodge with 30 letting units
agritourism in the form of a tropical fish farm
ecotourism in the form of an exotic bird aviary

As a potential investor myself, I'm not put off by makeshift stalls.

Thanks for your concern about consumer culture, but what we need right now is better basic infrastructure like electricity. (Of course, you might not care about that because during your brief visits to Nigeria you won't have time to experience the difficulty of trying to work with electricity going on and off and on and off and on and off until you are ready to kill yourself.)

However, if you're an entrepreneur and you want to use your own private resources to create gigantic shopping malls, why not? If indeed there is a demand for this, the market will reward you for your insight. But please do not ask for government subsidies and grants under the guise of 'launching a consumer revolution'!

my friend this thing na small by small ooh. infact in five years if everything is going on so i think things like this would be an issue of the past. who dash naija mall five years ago.

@Nwoke

I think the Palms Mall was fully funded by private property developers. The government cannot manage toll plazas on the road, no body should partner with the Nigerian Government with the building of a mall. We have a problem with the government managing infrastructures in that country. Normally Governments do not fund things like shopping malls(Even here in the US). The government makes a lot of money from Sales Tax, corporate Income Taxes, and VAT ETC.

Beautiful beautiful! I shall make it happen y'all. WATCH ME!

For those of you who haven't had a chance to go THE PALMS shopping mall is a real shining example of how things CAN be done to a WORLD CLASS standard in Nigeria!

I believe it is a joint private venture between South Africans and Nigerians. The two main chains involved are:
SHOPRITE - a big south african supermarket chain
GAME - again a south african general retailer selling everything you can imagine.

in addition there are a large number of other retailers from PC / electronics stores / clothes / jewelry / perfume / furniture / flowers. Lots of these are still in the process of setting up but everything is finished to a very high standard.

In addition there is a food court area with Nando's , Nigerian food, Pizza etc. and upstairs they are in the process of fininshing off an multi-screen cinema.

The other big bonus is that there is more than enough on site parking.

@Nwoke there is no doubt that this sort of development is just as important as local grass roots development. Nigeria needs to show the world that it is a good place for foreign investors to come and operate. They will create employment, generate revenue and also raise the general standard of how business is done. In a short space of time in Lagos we now have 3 malls - Silverbird, City Mall and now The Palms, and each one is improving.

As a number of posters have said it creates an opportunity for all those who go to shop outside the country to spend their money locally. Your point that it creates a place for people overseas to come and enjoy when they come home is important as well. If Nigeria is serious about attracting visitors to come and spend their pounds and dollars there needs to be a lot more develpoment like this to go alongside the Tejousho's etc. I think we are already seeing this in the Hotel industry and improvements / new builds seem to be happening everywhere.

These Malls are all about privae business investing money in infrastructure and local emplyment. The foreign chains are also making Nigeria wake up to what Customer Service is really all about,

Lomg may it continue!

Your point that Nigerians who go abroad to shop will now be able to shop locally is a good one. Thanks for enlightening me. Some Nigerians are so rich, it's unbelievable.

NWOKE, I have finished my studies in architecture. Am I not allowed to have dreams for the country which gave birth to me? PLEASE, I AM A NEW GENERATION NIGERIAN WHO STICKS TO PRINCIPLES OF A MARKET BASED ECONOMY IF THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS STRONG WHO NEEDS THE SILLY GOVERNMENT. GOVERNEMENT´S ROLE should be restricted to building the basic physical and social inratstructure of a country and NOTHING ELSE, to my mind. Government projects are a thing of the past PRIVATE DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT WILL GUIDE US THROUGH THE FUTURE. I do hope that the Palms (which is a private driven project like the one in Cross Rivers, too) will usher in a new era, we as young Nigerians must say goodbye ONCE AND FOR ALL to those grumpy and flabby government officials.