By Enyeribe Ejiogu
Exposure to the way large convenience stores operate overseas while studying for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, and then working in Airtel (formerly Econet) for eight years, rising to become the Customer Care Manager of the telecommunications company and five years in another telecom firm, gave Mrs Ozichi Eniye Bribena, ample experience on how service-based organisations should treat customers: always conscious that the person who walks to make a purchase or transact business is a king that should receive royal treatment and pampering.
BRIBENA hails from Azuiyi Oloko in Ikwuano Umuahia LGA of Abia State, and got married to her husband who is from Agbere in Sagbama LGA of Bayelsa State. After attending primary school at Practicing School, Azuiyi Oloko, and moving on for secondary education at Azuiyi Oloko Secondary School, she secured admission into the University of Benin, Edo State, from where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and Anthropology and then capped it with a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
All through her working career, before going into private enterprise to establish OneSource Mart, the singular focus of Bribena has been to treat customers right. This, perhaps, explains why she has remained passionate about giving young people an early start in developing a customer-centric attitude in the workplace and even in general life situations. This is seen in the warm smile she easily bestows on people, like a gift and a blessing.
In fact, her decision to break out and set up OneSource, which is set to grow into a chain of convenience superstores in the key urban centres across the country, was triggered by a particularly bad experience at a store in Lagos. And since starting out, quality service delivery and giving customers a beautiful, enduring experience has been the staying power of the company. Please read on…
Prior to establishing One Source Mart, what were you doing? And how did the experience prepare you to embark on an entrepreneurial journey?
Before OneSource Mart, I worked in three other companies. After completing my NYSC, I joined the global Auditing and Management Consulting Firm, Arthur Anderson, which is presently known as KPMG as a Customer Relationship Officer. After about two and a half years, I moved to Econet Wireless, which is the present day Airtel, as one of the pioneering staff in Customer Care. I spent eight years there and rose to the position of Customer Care Manager. I later moved to a private company, Adonai Net, a company that partnered with Airtel to offer closed user group services, as Head, Customer Services. I spent five years with the company before the birth of OneSource Mart on December 20, 2014. My career in customer service has been very useful from the inception of One Source Mart, by positioning the company as a customer-centric business, offering excellent customer service.
At what point did you decide to set up One Source Mart? And how did it take off?
Two years prior to emergence of One Source Mart, we partnered with one of the major supermarkets in Lagos where our involvement assisted in re-positioning the brand and growing it. One day my husband and I visited a family in Amuwo Odofin area in Lagos and stopped over at a neighbourhood supermarket to buy a gift for the family. We got the worst customer experience we had ever encountered and felt we, or anyone for that matter, didn’t deserve such shabby treatment. We thought and felt residents in that neighbourhood deserved much better.
Out of a passion to demonstrate what excellent customer service should look and feel like, we commissioned a real estate agent to commence the search for an appropriate location within the Amuwo Odofin area. A few months later, we got a place and that became our first store. At this juncture, I resigned my job at Adonai Net to focus on achieving the strategic objectives for establishing the business. Now, the rest is history and we have expanded to open a branch in Victoria Island and another that will open in the last quarter of the year in Ikeja GRA.
Convenience store merchandising is a very competitive business where the entrepreneur has to get the business model right, be able to thrive and succeed. As a David competing with Goliaths what attributes distinguish One Source Mart from other convenience stores?
The attributes distinguish us from others include the following: good ambiance in our facilities, affordable prices, we give excellent customer service experience, our customers are assured of quality products of great variety and quite importantly, there is ample parking space for our customers.
OneSource Mart has locations in parts of Lagos metropolis. What factors determine the locations of your shops?
When choosing a location, we consider these key factors: the size of the proposed place, accessibility and customer demographics in the catchment area.
COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that came with it affected businesses and enabled the logistics industry to expand, creating order delivery options. What lessons did you learn from that experience and how have you adapted such to the operations of OneSource Mart, to foster growth, boost sales and income?
The experience led us to incorporate delivery service to our customers, on request, especially those living on the Island and its environs. Of course, home delivery brought about an increase in sales and customer loyalty.
We have had instances where merchandising enterprises with a track record of credibility have deployed their platforms to exploit win-win opportunities that support worthy causes in education, health and other social endeavours. In such instances the businesses attract patronage by offering part of specific sales to such worthy causes. Has OneSource Mart ever done this or would it welcome such initiatives?
We are open to exploring any mutually beneficial partnerships with worthy causes on an ongoing basis.
In what ways is One Source Mart giving back to society, whether in the educational space, health or youth empowerment?
We have a robust programme that provides opportunities for students on holiday to do vacation jobs, where they get hands-on opportunities to observe and learn the workings of the business. Watching young people learn about and practice customer service in real-time, in other words exhibiting a customer-centric attitude, gives me joy and really excites me. We have been laser-focused on achieving this objective with each cohort of young people that have passed through our holiday programme. We also collaborate with a Christian ministry that sends relief items to prisons.
We have heard warm reviews of OneSource Mart bread. What makes it standout? Can OneSource produce customised bread delivered directly to homes in certain parts of Lagos?
First, the key attributes that make OneSource Mart bread standout include the following: consistency in quality, weight, taste, variety, and of course, attractive and reasonable price. OneSource Mart bread comes in flavours like honey wheat (made with whole wheat and honey) and sardine bread. There is the type that has some berries/other fruits and then a variety that has custard. The most important thing is that they are all of high quality, unique and delicious. We can produce customised bread that can be delivered directly to homes in certain parts of Lagos.
On the day that Bishop Erumaka marked his 60th birthday, you served as a compere. At one point you introduced your husband in a way that made some ladies a bit green withe envy. Please, how did you meet and make this union between the East and the Niger Delta happen?
We met in church, Wordbase Assembly to be precise. My tall, handsome husband is excitingly friendly, strong man of faith, who is passionate about the things of God.
What does style mean to you?
For me, style means that what I wear must first be comfortable, decent, clean and beautiful
When you are not thinking about OneSource Mart and not dwelling on the injunction in Joshua 1:8, what else do you do to unwind?
I watch television, especially documentaries on important events, inventions, news and comedy. I also spend time bonding with my family and returning calls and emails I couldn’t attend to while at work.
What kind of books do you read apart from Christian books?
I love to read books by renowned entrepreneurs and leadership books written by great leaders.
