•Reveals How She Set Up 2 Supermarkets In ILUPEJU
Alhaja Omolade Oladosu is a successful Lagos businesswoman. But she had to struggle her way to the top. She has a Grass to Grace story which many can learn from. The story of Alhaja Omolade Oladosu is an inspiring one. About several years ago, she started selling fruits and vegetables at a side street, inside the Ilupeju area of Lagos. Through perseverance, Hard work and the Grace of God, she made it big.
Right now, Alhaja Oladosu owns 2 big supermarkets inside Ilupeju. She owns Shop Perfect and Right Price. Both are neighbourhood supermarkets. And she is doing quite well. She also owns the biggest open-air grocery market in Ilupeju where you can get any grocery of your choice to buy. She told City People Magazine, Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE her success story last week. Below is her story.
If you drive into the popular Ade Akinsanya Street, opposite the LSDPC gate in Ilupeju, you cannot but notice a big grocery market where all the residents and expatriates who live in Ilupeju come to buy their groceries. It is an open-air market where you can get all the fruits and vegetables you need. It also has a Cold store where you can buy all forms of fish, from Titus, Croaker, Baracuda, Salmon, Red Snipper, Kote, Parola, Tilapia, Fish Fillet, Pan’s Fish, Chi Chicken, Zartech Chicken and Turkey to local chicken.
Opposite the grocery store is a big neighbourhood supermarket called Shop Perfect. It is located at the intersection of Olutunda & Ade Akinsanya Street which belongs to Alhaja and a few metres away is yet another one called Rite Price. It is located opposite Lagos Indian School.
These stores record heavy human traffic everyday, as many celebrities and expatriates (mainly Indians and Lebanese) troop to these stores to shop.
How did she start off City People asked her last week?
“I started by selling fruits and vegetables by the roadside, about 23 years in this same Ilupeju. In 1996, when that shop across, called Baazar Plaza opened, the owner gave me a small space by the side to sell my fruits and vegetables. I began making progress little by little until we opened Shop Perfect in 2009. The incorporation was done on 16th February 2009 and in March 2009, we commenced business.”
“Its now 10 years. To God be the glory.”
“When I look back, I give God the glory. I was occupying one wing of the building. Then we began to expand and we got a new extension. At some point we shifted from fruits to vegetables. 3 years after, I moved to the 2nd wing. Then came the 2nd store, Rite Price Supermarket, located opposite Indian Language School. Rite Price is the baby of Shop Perfect”.
Under Shop Perfect is a supermarket and groceries section. We import some groceries for our expatriate community. You know we have a lot of Indians and Lebanese living around here. We also source for groceries locally. We are into Agriculture. We grow some fruits and vegetable. We have a farm. We cater to a wide range of customers. 80% of our customers are Lebanese, and Indians, Asians generally then 20% are Nigerians. We sell food and fruits. Shop Perfect has more than 200 staff. The supermarket has various sections like Beverage, Electronics, Cosmetics, Kitchen Items, Toys & Stationery”.
“It was in December 2017 that Shop Perfect gave birth to Right Place Supermarket to meet up with the ever increasing demand of our customers. This place became jampacked, with traffic hold up and our customers began to queue to buy things”.
“At that point, we knew we needed to expland. This place was becoming jampacked. Over the years, Shop Perfect has got different awards from many societies and organisations as The Best Supermarket of the Year in the Ilupeju axis”.
The woman behind the 2 supermarkets is Alhaja Omolade Oladosu, who is the Iya Adinni of Ibadanland and Iya Adinni of Takwallah Muslim society in Lagos. She is a successful business woman who has contributed to the development of the Muslim community. She donated a library and also contributed to the lighting of Ade Akinsanya Street/Isijola Street in Ilupeju.
As part of her Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), she has contributed to the development of Odi Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA. City People also found out that out of 200 staff, 195 are from Ojuwoye/Odi Olowo LCDA.
She is also a big employer of labour in that area. In her Cold room section, she sells frozen Turkey, Titus Fish, Baranda, Red Snapper Fish, Kote, Panla, local Chicken and Frozen Snail.
Last December, 2018, Alhaja Oladosu opened the doors of her Rite Price Supermarket, opposite the Indian Language School, on Obanle Aro Street in Ilupeju. It is a big supermarket/departmental store that is well stocked.
It has a section for Cosmetics, Biscuits/Chocolate, Spice/Ketchup, Wine, Indomie/Egg, Flakes/Nuts, Toiletries, Beverage, Baby Foods and Diapers.
It has a separate bungalow within the compound that sells Electronics, Toys/Wears and Stationeries.
What it has in stock is similar to that of Shop Perfect. But Shop Perfect is bigger than Rite Price.
Shop Perfect is a big departmental store that caters to a wider customer base. About 1,000 customers visit Shop Perfect a day. It does retail and wholesale. It has Cosmetics Section, Rice Section (from both foreign rice to local rice). It has a Drinks Section. It has Electronic Section, Can Food Section, Household Appliances Section, where you can buy Electric Kettle, Deep Fryer, Coffee Maker, Blander, Sandwich Maker, Toaster, Oven, Mixer.
It has a section for Provisions like Cornflakes & Baby Food. It has a section for Kitchen Utensils like Plates, Cups, Pots, Fry Pans, Tea Cups, Kettles.
It has a section for Foreign Foods for the Indians & Lebanese customers. It has a Drinks Section. Her grocery market is so rich in groceries. It has a variety of Apples of different colours, Bananas, Grapes, Letuce, Mangoes, Onions, Potatoes, Pineapple, Pawpaw, Bananas, Water melon, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Okro, Tatase, Water Melon, Pepper, Lemon, Oranges, Yams, Coconut and all the ingredients for salad.
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