Brands/Products
UAC Nigeria’s Mr Bigg’s Remodels Operations to Recapture Market
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Many years ago, the Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) arm of UAC of Nigeria Plc, Mr Bigg’s, was the darling of children and lovers, but the introduction of other companies offering similar services forced the market leader to lose its position to rivals.
However, the management of Mr Bigg’s is working tirelessly to recapture the market and take back its rightful position again.
To achieve this, the firm, which is operated by UAC Restaurants Limited, a subsidiary of UAC Nigeria, has made its services better by remodeling its restaurants in a new initiative aimed at positively redefining the lifestyle of its numerous customers.
The new initiative is principally aimed at sustaining the heritage of the 33 years old outfit by raising the customer service to a new level.
The foremost indigenous and largest fast-growing QSR business in West Africa, with over 100 restaurants in Nigeria started as fully company owned before it transformed into partial franchise, and later full franchise.
The new initiative, according to Mrs Ethel Mba, Marketing Manager, UACN Restaurants, is to remodel the restaurants into a scintillating go-to restaurant of high value lifestyle.
Speaking at the pioneer model Restaurant located at Northwest Filling Station by the Victoria Garden City, VGC, Lekki, Lagos, during a media tour of some restaurants on Wednesday, Mrs Mba said the new approach promises to sustain excellence in wide variety of dishes, Patries and Confectionaries to the delight of its teeming consumers, which is the heritage of Mr Bigg’s.
She explained that the VGC restaurant, which was opened on July 9, 2019, will remain the ‘signature poster’ for all the other restaurants in the new concept, aimed at bringing world class meal experience for Nigeria consumers with regards to customer service and restaurant ambience.
The VGC Restaurant presents a cozy ambience backed up by excellent service delivery by professionals to give customers unparalleled experience in a friendly setting. The conveniences, the downstairs lobby, the upper lobby are world-class, coupled with an excellent Kiddies Corner named “Duplin Planet” are aimed at providing the whole family with unforgettable experience.
Mrs Mba assured that apart from the VGC Restaurant, two other restaurants will spring up in Amuwo Odofin by Festac town and Abule Egba along Lagos Abeokuta Express Way very soon.
“The new restaurants will be patterned after the structure of the Northwest restaurant by VGC to deliver high-quality food and good ambience as the basic standard. The menu offering will be aimed at providing wide variety of choices to meet the customer tastes and trends,” she said.
Not a few customers agree that no restaurant can survive without offering quality food and service aimed at giving patrons a satisfying experience.
Mrs Gbemisola Lekan, a customer, who walked into the VGC restaurant with her kids, asserted that a good family restaurant is one that offers delicious food that reminds people of the favorite meals their mothers cooked when they were kids.
She recalled with excitement that products like Mr Bigg’s meat pie, Chicken pie, and Scotch eggs are legendary and still remains the best.
Other patrons averred that in terms of comfort, the new restaurant is well cut out with space wide enough to avoid congestion and movement interruptions.
Mr Bigg’s history began with the coffee shops inside Kingsway Department Stores in the 1960s. In 1973, these shops were rebranded as Kingsway Rendezvous, which became Mr Bigg’s in 1986. The chain saw rapid expansion after becoming one of the first Nigerian companies to sell franchises to investors.
In 2012, UAC Restaurants adopted a full franchising business model making it the first to establish Franchise restaurants in order to grow the brand’s footprint and equity.
UAC Restaurants Ltd has since then owned and operated quick service restaurants with a range of products including her signature Meat pie, Chicken pie & Beef roll, Rice and Peppered Chicken, Ice cream, Pizza, and local meals.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
To further reinforce its commitment to continuous enhancement of customer experience through menu innovation and quality improvements, Chicken Republic, Nigeria’s leading quick-service restaurant brand and a flagship brand of Food Concepts Plc, has improved its Smokey Jollof recipe across restaurants nationwide.
As a customer-centric brand, Chicken Republic regularly evaluates consumer feedback, dining trends, and product performance to ensure its menu continues to deliver the quality and value to which customers have become accustomed.
The updated Smokey Jollof is part of this ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.
The refreshed recipe represents the latest evolution of one of the brand’s most popular offerings.
Developed with a focus on richer flavour, greater consistency and an even more satisfying eating experience, the improved Smokey Jollof reflects Chicken Republic’s dedication to meeting the evolving tastes and expectations of its customers.
“At Chicken Republic, our customers are at the heart of every decision we make. We are constantly listening, learning and looking for ways to improve the experience we deliver.
“The improved Smokey Jollof is a reflection of that commitment. We’ve refined the recipe to deliver an even richer, more enjoyable taste experience while maintaining the flavour profile our customers know and love,” the Managing Director of Food Concept, Mr Olumide Aniyikaiye, stated.
“Great brands evolve with their consumers. This update is not about changing what people love, but about making it even better.
“We are confident that customers will enjoy the improved recipe and appreciate the attention we continue to invest in delivering quality meals every day,” Mr Aniyokaiye added.
The improved Smokey Jollof is now available at Chicken Republic outlets nationwide, allowing customers to experience a more flavourful and consistent version of a fan-favourite menu item.
This latest enhancement underscores Chicken Republic’s broader commitment to innovation, quality and creating memorable meal experiences for customers across Nigeria.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it has uncovered a warehouse stocked with expired baby wipes intended for illegal revalidation and sale to unsuspecting consumers.
In a statement shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, the agency said the value of the products is estimated at N42 million.
The agency said during the operation, its officers discovered over 240 cartons of expired baby wipes that had already been revalidated and repackaged, alongside approximately 20,000 additional expired wipes, equivalent to 625 cartons, awaiting revalidation.
NAFDAC said one suspect was apprehended at the scene, while the warehouse was sealed and the products evacuated for further investigation.
“The distribution and use of expired baby wipes pose significant health risks, particularly to infants and young children, including skin irritation, skin infections, allergic reactions, worsening of eczema or dermatitis, and an increased risk of diaper rash due to the reduced effectiveness of preservatives that inhibit microbial growth.
“The seized products are valued at approximately N42 million.
“We reaffirm our commitment to protecting public health by preventing substandard and expired regulated products from re-entering the market.
“Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities involving regulated products to the nearest NAFDAC office or call 0800 1 623322,” it stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has backed the call by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for local smartphone manufacturing to accelerate digital inclusion.
The ALTON Chairman, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, described the proposal as a practical measure capable of accelerating broadband adoption and expanding digital inclusion across the country.
He said Nigeria must deliberately transition from being predominantly a technology consumer to becoming an innovator, designer and manufacturer of digital technologies.
According to him, Nigeria’s large telecommunications market and youthful population provide the scale and human capital needed for world-class technology manufacturing.
The ALTON chairman said the country’s ambition should extend beyond assembling smartphones to developing complete technology capabilities across the value chain.
“Our ambition should extend beyond assembling devices. We must pursue genuine knowledge transfer, research and development, product engineering, software development, semiconductor capabilities and large-scale manufacturing,” he stressed.
He said the objective should be producing devices and digital technologies for Nigeria, Africa and the global market.
Mr Adebayo said the emergence of Artificial Intelligence had further strengthened Nigeria’s opportunity to become a competitive technology manufacturing hub.
He said Artificial Intelligence was transforming product design, manufacturing, quality assurance, supply chain management, customer experience and software innovation.
According to him, investing in AI-enabled manufacturing will improve productivity, create high-value jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness across Africa.
NCC’s Board Chairman, Mr Idris Olorunnimben, at a Digital Africa Summit Roundtable in Shanghai, called for local smartphone production and innovative financing to tackle the proliferation of counterfeit and non-type-approved devices through stronger market integrity.
The ALTON boos described the grey market as a major challenge affecting consumers, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and the wider telecommunications ecosystem.
According to him, robust local manufacturing supported by strong quality standards will provide credible alternatives to grey-market imports.
He said effective type approval, competitive pricing and consumer confidence would encourage wider acceptance of locally manufactured smartphones.
“This will strengthen consumer protection, improve network performance, retain greater value within our economy, and stimulate industrial growth,” he said.
Mr Adebayo also endorsed innovative smartphone financing, stronger device management systems and identity-enabled credit frameworks.
He added that the initiatives would enable more Nigerians to acquire quality smartphones through affordable payment models.
According to him, telecom operators remain ready to partner with the government, manufacturers, financiers, academia, investors and development partners to build sustainable local manufacturing.
The ALTON boss described the initiative as a national economic transformation agenda capable of creating jobs and strengthening Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy.
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