Nigerians have been described as some of the world’s biggest spenders
more than a few times. A recent research by Guardian UK shows that
Nigerians are the fourth biggest spenders in the United Kingdom.
And we love to shop everywhere. From Dubai to Paris to London to New
York, but London seems to rank as one of the popular shopping
destinations for Nigerians spending four times what UK shoppers
typically spend. The number of Nigerian visitors to the UK increased by
more than 50 per cent to 142,000 a year between 1991 and 2011, according
to the Office for National Statistics. Nigeria is projected to become
Africa’s biggest economy by next year and the world’s fifth most
populous country by 2050, and London is cashing in.
The London Evening Standard's feature on Simi Osomo, a 25 year-old Nigerian who makes six trips to London spending a total of
£30,000 (N7,622,220) got my attention this morning.
According to the report, she spends about two weeks during each trip and goes shopping everyday of her trip.
Speaking about Nigerians and their shopping habits, she told the standard “When it comes to shopping and Nigerians, I can tell you it’s just what we have to do.”Back home in Lagos, the technology market has been
flooded with fake products from China, which means more people are
coming to London for electronic goods and are even taking items back to
sell. “No one wants to spend more than 100,000 naira (£390) and find out
it is fake, so they prefer to come over for a holiday and buy something
they know is real and has a guarantee in case something goes wrong.”She loves to shop in summer which is the height of the shopping season,
and also comes back for the January sales too. Her mother, a lawyer, and
father, a businessman, often join her. She has just finished a law
degree and is about to start a job in fashion journalism, which she
hopes will give her enough holidays for trips to London.
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