Nigerian logistics giant, GIG Logistics (GIGL), recently announced its expansion to Colchester, Essex, in the UK. The company says it’s now fully incorporated in the UK but plans to run its logistics service 100% digitally.
It is worth noting that GIGL currently operates in Nigeria, Houston, Texas, and Accra, Ghana; thus making the UK the 6th Nation and First European outlet for the company, Tese are giant rides indeed.
The deciding factor for choosing the UK
The UK is a manufacturing powerhouse and also a commercial giant. The country has a number of brands that supply a wide array of products that appeal greatly to Nigerian and other Africans and thus the company deemed it fit to naturally expand operations to the UK.
How to Ship Items from UK
To ship from the UK to Nigeria, log on to the GIGGo app for Android or iOS. After signing in, click on “Overseas Shipping”, then tap “Create Overseas Shipment”. Select UK as a country to ship from then copy the shipping address format displayed.
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Shop from any of the stores listed on the GIGGo app and input the copied address details during checkout. Go back to the GIGGo app then tap proceed to complete the shipping process.
What GIGL has said
According to Ariyo Oluboye, Director, Overseas Operations, GIGL, the company plans to limit Nigeria’s trade barriers by easing deliveries across continents.
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“Opening in the UK aligns with our drive to be that African brand that is playing in the global logistics space. Since we observed that majority of goods coming to Nigeria are from the UK, it became quite obvious that we needed an operational base there,” Oluboye says.
Thriving Market Opportunity
Most of UK’s export to Nigeria comes from mineral fuels and lubricants — governments and multinationals’ usual trading activities.
Oluboye reasons that moving goods, especially last-mile deliveries, to Africa has been complex, and it has barred smaller businesses and merchants from connecting with the rest of the world.
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“What we’re offering these merchants is speed, affordability, and a robust route network across all geo-political zones in Nigeria. Decentralized and centralized commerce can only thrive with efficient last-mile delivery, and this is an area we are providing innovative solutions for with our services,” he says.
Collaboration with other tech partners
GIGL recently announced a partnership with global payments giants, Visa, that could give small businesses special tariffs for their logistics services. It also launched a new subscription-based plan with which merchants can access its GIGGo app.