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THE NATION FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013
SHOPPING
The rise of sausage rolls Sausage rolls have gained consumers confidence as a hunger stopper. The industry is becoming more competitive but consumers appear confused over which to choose. TONIA ‘DIYAN reports.
•Packaged food
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ONVENIENCE foods such as gala, Super bite, Meaty, Rite, Hotty, Chopsy have gained consumers confidence. People tend to eat them to suppress hunger and sometimes they are eaten in between meals. Remarkably, some of these sausages have demonstrated commitment to Nigeria’s fast food consumers for some time now.Gala sausage roll, a brand on the stable of UAC, was the earliest competitor into the industry in
Nigeria. But at the moment, there are different brands of sausage rolls competing for their market shares. They are packaged by manufacturing giants like UAC, UTC and Leventis as well as the latest competitor, Cway, Chi and Rite Foods. While other sausage roll brands like Beefie, Chopsy and UTC sausage rolls come in transparent white polythene cover with their brand name in different colours, Gala’s clos-
est rival, Meaty Sausage Roll and Hotty Savoury Pie come in flamboyant colour packages of red and yellow respectively. To keep a brand alive and meet consumers’ needs and expectations, a brand leader must strive to keep close to consumers to know what they want in terms of taste, feel and appearance. The basic ingredient for a sausage roll is generally a sheet of puff pastry sliced into two and wrapped into tubes around a filling based on sausage meat. They are eaten any time of the day as a snack or meal but are most popular at breakfast or lunch time. According to consumers who spoke to The Nation Shopping, initially, some of these sausage roles were adjudged by consumers as pleasurably soft with a lot of beef in them , though, some others are salty as against some that was moderately salted but tough and with insufficient beef. While the colourful brand attire of Meaty and Hotty attracted new customers who must have been repelled by the old-school outlook of others who has refused to rebrand. Subsequently after meaty was introduced, chicky sausage roll came into existence. Meanwhile, Gala yielded to consumers’ demand which completely stated that brand consistency should be supported with innovation if it must remain alive in the minds of consumers by rebranding. Cway Group also introduced Chicky Sausage roll, which reportedly has a six-month shelf life span. The product is available in international markets and departmental stores as well as major outlets in the Nigerian market.
The latest competitor, Rite, is no doubt struggling for its market share, giving the giants UAC, UTC and Leventis, a good fight, since it is gradually gaining consumers’ acceptance with its promise of more beef. Some of the traffic peddlers who spoke to The Nation Shopping disclosed that apart from the run Meaty and other sausage roll brands have been giving Gala, Rite is also sharing close shelf presence and thereby running down its market share. “There are varieties to pick from, people simply go for their choice, therefore, I can’t say I sell one more than the other, said a sausage sell, Mr Thomson Akunhan. Other sellers, especially the cart pushers of yoghurt drinks and ice cream who form the bulk of sausage roll peddlers polled around Ikeja, Ojota, Maryland, and Ojuelegba suggest that some sausage are facing severe competitions. A regular sausage roll customer, Miss Hannah Akirewu testified to the fact that some sausage rolls are better than the others. “I have tasted them all, some are sure better. I prefer the super bite taste, it is unique. I can only eat other brands if I don’t find it” Competition is considered good in marketing when it keeps prominent and leading players on their toes in terms of constantly adding value and satisfying consumers. But any form of laxity in the face of stiff competition is a sure way for a leading brand to rob itself of a remarkable share of the market and leave it as a second best. Though many consumers still use the generic name of UAC’s sausage roll, Gala, for all the sausage rolls in the market.
Most people believe that the only place to shop for home and kitchen appliances are malls or online. Writes TAIBAT IDOWU.
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LECTRICAL appliances are central to daily living. Man is definitely dependent on different types of home and kitchen appliances like air conditioners, LCD TVs, vacuum cleaners, coolers, toasters, corded kettle, iron, cookers, hot plates, health griller, watching matching, Tube light, mixer grinder, etc. All these gadgets are known to lessen our burden and make life easier. The hectic lifestyle today reduces our energy levels and thereby increases our dependence on these gadgets. Today millions of people across the world depend on various kinds of electrical appliances. Getting these appliances is nothing to worry about; they are usually sold everywhere in the market most especially at various shopping malls. According to Mrs. Omolara Aluko ’’I get my electrical appliances from malls because they are cheaper than other shops out there. For an instance I got my essential twin solid hot plate at the rate of N4,999 at Adeniran Ogunsanya shopping mall. Apart from the lesser price, I still have the assurance of what ever get there because they are more reputable.’’ Mrs. Seyi Orelope attested to the easy life derive from washing machines. She said: ‘’I use washing machine to wash at home because of my tight schedule. I only have Sundays to relax from the hustle bustle of the week. So, for this reason my husband bought it so that it will free me from stress.’’ Tube light, one of the most commonly and widely used electrical appliances, is available in different sizes and varieties. The CFL lights, fluorescent lights, LED lights are some of the most important varieties of lights. The CFL tube light is used in homes as
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•Appliances
Appliances that make life tick well as commercial buildings and is quite popular for its unique qualities. There are different types of CFL lights available in the markets. These lights are compact in size yet powerful which makes it distinctive. The Dulux bulbs, the Triple Biax CFL, the quad tube CFL, and the spiral CFL are some of the known varieties of CFL tube light. The spiral CFL is widely used in homes and offices in fixtures. Circular CFL is another variety which is also used in reading lamps. Fluorescent lights are quite common these days. It is usually used in commercial areas.
Since it is energy efficient, it is used in places where bright light is required for a longer period. Compared to the incandescent bulbs, this variety of tube light is much better and durable. Another variety of tube light is the LED lights which are long lasting and efficient. It is used for a number of applications including LED rope lights. These lights are used for decorations during weddings and festivals as it requires less energy. It is also used in street lamps. A variety of mixer grinder is also avail-
able in online stores; they are used for grinding coconut, spices, making vegetable and fruit juices. Apart from essential appliances like tube light and grinders, there are many more electrical appliances that are considered vital for any home. Appliances like iron holders, emergency lights, bread toaster, hot and cold water dispenser, mini fridge, electrical stove, microwave oven and so forth. All these equipments and appliances are available in retail stores at reasonable prices.