Unilever Nigeria Plc, under a new Ghanaian CEO, Yaw Nsarkoh has set a target of N300 million daily business turnover for its trade partners in 2014.
The management of the Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company which last weekend in Lagos appreciated the efforts of the distributors from various regions of the country in 2013 however promised the distributors some incentives to drive target.
Kweku Boateng, the customer development director who spoke at the customer forum and who believed that the turnover is realizable said “we will encourage ourselves to achieve the task from February, 2014”
Also speaking at the forum described as the gathering of Unilever big family, the new CEO, Nsarkoh who took over from Mabe Thabo described trade partners as essential part of business model of any business that is serious of serving its consumers. “We work with them in our trade eco- system to create value for consumers so that we can build a preference brand that we are looking for”.
He said recognition is a major factor that lubricares any true partnership and “our customer forum is an opportunity to appreciate all the work that is done across Nigeria, sometimes in tough terrains in order to be able to express our brands appropriately and take our products even to the remotest part of Nigeria so that our loyal consumers will be able to get them”
Appreciating that Unilever has been in Nigeria since 1920s, Nsarkoh further said the forum is also to build the basis for the future growth of the business by strengthening the relationship with our partners.
On his focus as new CEO, he said all the foundation that has been built by his predecessors is solid and what “I intend to do is to erect even more strong strategy on it. Nigeria’s place in the global contruct into the future is beyond dispute, and what we want to do is to ensure that our brands are strengthened into the future so that we shall participate in and contribute to the growth of Nigeria within the global construct and in that effort build the Africa business to become the business of our dreams”.
He said the consumers are the reasons why Unilever exists and the company will continue to listen to the consumers and try to anticipate their needs from the basis of signals that “we see and amplify them in order to build strong brands that provide solutions that build and improve their lives”.
One of the customers from Abuja, Stephanus Uzokwe, CEO of Kaycee Distribution and Logistics described the customers forum as a good opportunity when the management and distributors relax after a year of hard work and share business strategies.
He said the challenge of N300 million daily turnover is a big one “but in Unilever we are made to understand that nothing is impossible. With the support such as promos and advertisement campaigns they will extend to us in our various locations, I believe we can achieve the target”
Some of the customers were rewarded with smartphones and other prizes.
By: Daniel Obi
