Working Lives: This Bar Owner Wants Her Business To Become a Conglomerate
“I want my business to be a conglomerate. I want the name of my business to be a household name. I believe the beer parlour business is profitable and there are a lot of opportunities for growth if one is willing to put in the work.”
What is your name?
My name is Rosemary Osagie. I am from Esan central local Government Area of Edo State.
Tell us about your education.
I attended Abolele Primary School and also Ujabhole Grammar School. I could not further my education due to the lack of financial support. My father who was the sole breadwinner of our family was a police corporal and the amount he earned at that time was nothing to write home about. Although he sent his male children to polytechnics, his female children did not go beyond secondary school. He tried his best for us and I am grateful that I can at least read and write. My mother was a full housewife.
When did you come to Lagos?
I moved to Lagos after my traditional marriage to my first husband. I got married at the age of 23. We were married for 5 years. It took me some time to leave but I left after 5 years of suffering domestic violence. After my divorce, I sold food at Obalende under Bridge in Lagos. That was where I met my second husband. We have four children together. I have two children from my first marriage. We all live in Alausa, Ikeja.
How much is your rent?
I stay in a room and parlor at Alausa where I pay rent of N150,000 per annum.
How did you start this business?
When we moved to Alausa, I thought about what to do to support my husband. The first thing that came to my mind was to continue selling food. My husband discouraged me due to the stress involved in running the food business. One day, I was walking around the street, and I saw young boys and girls relaxing. Some were drinking while some were smoking. I was surprised to see people drinking and smoking on a Monday morning. Instantly I told my husband I want to open a beer parlour and he agreed.
How much capital did you start with?
Aside from the shop rent, my husband and I used N300,000 to stock our shop. We bought different brands of beer and some of the beer companies gave us freezers with the condition that we cannot put another brand of beer inside their freezers.
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Who are your customers?
Everyone is my customer, but the youths patronize me the most. They spend money freely and they come in groups. I allow them to smoke in my shop even though I do not like the acrid smell of cigarettes. if I do not allow them to smoke, I might lose them.
When do you have the most customers – weekdays or weekends?
My business bubbles the most on weekends. On weekends I attend to customers till midnight. I stay overnight on some days, especially Fridays. People rarely go home on Fridays. I have a D.J who usually comes around to play good music and entertain my customers. My mini shop is just like a club. I don’t want my customers to feel bored, so I give it to them just the way they like it. We don’t experience large crowds on weekdays just Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are very busy.
What’s the most popular brand of beer everyone buys?
Trophy from International breweries is the most popular. That’s what people drink in 70% of the bars in Lagos. I don’t know why people like the beer. Recently, Trophy has been doing very well in the market. I make sure I always have it in my shop.
How many crates do you sell?
On weekdays, it takes the grace of God to sell a maximum of two crates. I make most sales on weekends. Between Friday and Saturday, I sell more than 10 crates. We also sell massively when workers are paid salaries. They come to the bar to chill with friends and some come with their families to spend time together.
How much do you make in sales?
When things are slow during weekdays, I sell up to N6000 to N7000. Most of our sales are on weekends. Some weekends, I make up to N20,000.
How much profit do you make on each bottle?
It depends on the brand. The profit on each bottle ranges between N100 to N150. The amount you gain also depends on where you are buying from and the location of your shop. If you are buying directly from the company, the price will be lesser than when you buy from a wholesaler. In some places people sell a bottle of Trophy for N500, if I try that here nobody will patronize me.
How many hours do you work in a day?
I don’t have a fixed closing hour on weekends. But during the week, I open my shop from 10 am till 11 pm and sometimes 12 am. When I have customers in my shop, I don’t chase them out to close the shop. I only lock my shop after the last customer leaves. On Fridays, I sleep in the shop just to monitor sales and to attend to customers. After a rough weekend, I rest on Mondays.
Do fights break out amongst drunk patrons?
Nobody can fight in my shop because I don’t give room for that. If a customer is drunk and everyone knows that this person is drunk, he will be left alone. I even close my shop leaving the person behind. We are used to that type of situation.
Apart from beer, do you sell other things?
Selling beer alone cannot be profitable. I offer dishes such as cow tail pepper soup, catfish pepper soup, and fried meat spiced up with pepper and onions. I also sell cigarettes. As a barman or woman, you must prepare all this because your customers will always demand it. I am even planning on how to start preparing Ukwobi and goat head. You can’t see profit by selling beers alone.
Did you have to register with anybody or a union before starting the trade?
I don’t belong to any union, and I don’t know if there are any unions for bar owners. The only people I pay dues to are the local government agents who come to collect service charges. I did not register anywhere before starting up my business.
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So, if I wanted to start the trade today, what do I have to do?
You can’t start with the same capital I used then. What you will do is look for a location that has space. Some customers will bring cars and you won’t like them blocking the road. Secondly, get a good freezer, as customers like their drinks chilled. Get a shop big enough to accommodate freezers and your crates of beer. Then get enough money to decorate your shop and also to fill it up with different types of drinks then you are good to go.
For how long have you been doing this and for how much longer do you see yourself doing it?
I have been in this business for more than 10 years and I have realized that this is not a business you retire from. Retiring from this business has never crossed my mind. I think it is only death that can make me retire for now.
Tell me about your dreams or plans to venture into something else.
The plan now is to open another shop apart from the present one. I see myself having more than one shop. I want my business to be a conglomerate. I want the name of my business to be a household name. I believe the beer parlor business is profitable and there are a lot of opportunities for growth if one is willing to put in the work
