Lagos Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unveiled plans to hold the maiden Lagos Shopping Festival, a 72-hour non-stop shopping and entertainment event from December 23 to 25 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos Island.

Speaking at the unveiling, Sanwo-Olu, who was optimistic that the festival would create employment opportunities and drive commercial activities, said the inaugural Lagos Shopping Festival will drive commerce by supporting local businesses, attracting global brands, and creating direct and indirect employment opportunities.

The governor said the Lagos Shopping Festival, being organised by Lagos State government through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts in partnership with Tolaram Africa Group, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, and Chain Reactions Africa, would attract local and international tourists to the state.

He said: “We are a city of audacious people who dream big and think big. By this December, the City of Dubai will be holding the 30th edition of its yearly Dubai Shopping Festival. But we are just starting now, and we believe it is never too late.”

The festival’s Director of Organisation and Logistics, Ms. Damilola Pedro, who described Sanwo-Olu as the lead strategist and biggest sales person for the state, said the shopping festival would+ promote trade and commerce during the three days.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to Governor on Tourism, Culture and Arts, Mr. Idris Aregbe, narrated how the ministry had used a fair earlier organised in the month of April in conjunction with another private entity as proof of concept to test the waters ahead of the Lagos Shopping Festival, which is bigger in scope and scale.

He told the gathering comprising representatives of Zenith Bank Plc, Tolaram Group, and Guinness Nigeria Plc how the sales recorded in a period of three days surpassed the N250 million sales threshold the organisers had never crossed.