Inspiro Productions plans Lagos Shopping Festival

Barring last minute changes, Lagos will early next year hold an international shopping festival modelled after that of Joburg and Dubai.
“The maiden Lagos Shopping Festival to be organised by Zeal Drive Limited in conjunction with Inspiro Productions is planned for the first quarter of 2017 shortly after the annual Dubai Shopping Festival in January,” Chief Executive Officer of Inspiro Productions, Ayoola Sadare, said in a statement released to TheNiche.
Sadare, who attended this year’s edition of the Joburg Shopping Festival, which took place in South Africa’s shopping capital between July 28 and August 9, stated that he spoke to project director and head of the organising team, Ms. Tiekie Barnard, on the plans to use both the Dubai and Joburg shopping festival models.
He explained that there would be necessary adaptations while organising the shopping festival in Africa’s Largest city. This, he stated, will also contribute to growing the Lagos and subsequently Nigerian economy.
“The Joburg Shopping Festival is in its third year and growing exponentially. We have already had one of our malls confirm that footfall was up by 3.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, as well as retailers also confirming higher turn-overs,” Sadare quoted Barnard as saying.
The Joburg Shopping Festival took place at six malls across Johannesburg: Sandton City, Nelson Mandela Square, East Rand Mall, Rosebank Mall, Maponya Mall and the Oriental Plaza.
Sadare was specifically at the grand prize draw and pop-up showcase of local fashion designers at the end of the festival in Maponya Mall in Soweto, which also had in attendance the immediate past South Africa Consul-General, Ambassador Sam Monaisa.
On the final day of the festival, the organisers gave away five Chevrolet Sparks as well as five cash prizes of R25,000 (about N625,000) courtesy of Cadbury. The retailers at the participating malls provided sales and discounts during this time to attract both local shoppers and visitors from across Africa.
The event, which is in its third year, is modelled after the world-renowned Dubai Shopping Festival, which attracts millions of shoppers every year. In doing so, it contributes significantly to the Dubai economy. The Joburg Shopping Festival is supported by its headline partners, Gauteng Tourism Authority and the City of Joburg.
The objective is to attract tourists to South Africa to spend money and to stay a bit longer to enjoy the wealth of culture, history and experiences that the region has to offer, to boost the tourism and retail sectors, and ultimately the Gauteng economy.