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After Johannesburg Shopping Festival, Inspiro set to activate Lagos Show

By Chuks Nwanne
17 September 2016   |   2:44 am
On the final day of the festival, which ended recently, the organisers gave away five Chevrolet Sparks, as well as five cash prizes of R25 000 (roughly about N625,000) courtesy of Cadbury.
A cross section of guests at the festival

A cross section of guests at the festival

With the successful hosting of this year’s Jo’burg Shopping Festival, which was staged at six malls across Johannesburg (Sandton City, Nelson Mandela Square, East Rand Mall, Rosebank Mall, Maponya Mall and the Oriental Plaza), it’s obvious that the dream of Africa having a major shopping festival that would attract global tourists, has finally come to pass.

On the final day of the festival, which ended recently, the organisers gave away five Chevrolet Sparks, as well as five cash prizes of R25 000 (roughly about N625,000) courtesy of Cadbury. On the other hand, the retailers at the participating malls, provided sales and discounts for visitors during this time to attract both local shoppers and visitors from the African continent.

Supported by its headline partners, Gauteng Tourism Authority and the City of Joburg, the event, which is in its third year, is modeled after the world-renowned Dubai Shopping Festival, which attracts millions of shoppers every year and in doing so, contributes significantly to the Dubai economy. The objective of the shopping festival is to attract tourists to South Africa and to stay a little bit longer to enjoy the wealth of culture, history and experiences that the region has to offer. In the end, it aims to boost the tourism and retail sectors, and ultimately the Gauteng Economy.

Ayoola Sadare of Inspiro productions and a collaborator from Lagos, Nigeria, attended the grand prize draw and pop-up showcase of local fashion designers at the end of the festival in Maponya Mall in Soweto. In attendance also were the immediate past South Africa Consul General Ambassador Sam Monaisa.

Impressed with the outcome of the initiative, Sadare spoke to the project director and head of the organising team, Ms. Tiekie Barnard, on the plans to use both the Dubai and Joburg Shopping Festival models, with necessary adaptations, to organise the Lagos Shopping Festival in Africa’s Largest city and contribute to help grow the Lagos and subsequently Nigerian economy.

Indications have emerged that the maiden Lagos Shopping Festival to be organised by Zeal Drive ltd in conjunction with Inspiro Productions, is being planned for the first quarter of 2017, shortly after the Dubai Shopping Festival in January.

Ms. Barnard noted, “the Jo’burg Shopping Festival is in its third year and growing exponentially. We’ve already had one of our malls confirm that footfall was up by 3.5% compared to the same period last year, as well as retailers also confirming higher turnovers.”

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