Saint Louis Sucre is a sugar
brand owned and produced by Südzucker Group, a German company which launched
the product in 1865. Popularly referred to as St Louis Sugar, the product is
made from beet root and sugarcane and is a longstanding household name in
Nigeria.
Though banned by the Federal Government
of Nigeria in 2015, St Louis Sugar remains illegally imported and continues to
have major presence and skyrocketing sales from consumers in Nigeria. The ban
was made in a bid to give local producers of sugar a chance to enter into the
market. According to the Federal Government, the continued presence of St Louis
Sugar was robbing local manufacturers from gaining market share because it had
all the advantage.
It remains a curiosity that this
German product has such dominance in Nigeria, to the extent that hardly any
Nigerian remembers that it is a foreign product because it has become
“Nigerianized”. St Louis Sugar has gained monopoly through its unfailing and consistent
presence and quality, passing through generations and remaining steady for over
50 years, almost as old as Nigeria itself since the country gained independence
from British rule in 1960.
St Louis Sugar advert in the
60’s; Source: @historicalnigeria Instagram page
Therefore it is no surprise that
this pioneer brand is the consumer’s most preferred table sugar product despite
other available products. What is most surprising however is the fact that St
Louis Sugar is noticeably absent from the advertising space; where similar
brands are clamouring to get noticed by consumers it stays quiet and onlooking,
yet still manages to be purchased by Nigerians even after the ban.
For years, St Louis Sugar has
retained the same packaging and size; the blue cardboard-like carton that
houses 90 cubes of sugar remains largely stocked in open markets, supermarkets,
stores and local kiosks. In the 70’s, a pack of St Louis Sugar was sold for N2
but the retail price has since increased to N350, sometimes fluctuating from
N350 to N450 but is mostly sold at the former cost.
Presently, its main competitor in
Nigeria is Dangote Sugar, which produces only granulated sugar from sugarcane;
it is sold for N100 (250g pack), N200 (500g pack), it also has 1kg and 50kg
sacks. Golden Penny is also a strong contender, just like St Louis Sugar it
sells a 500g package of 90 cubes of sugar but at a lower cost of N250/N350.
In the era of renaming and
rebranding by various companies (foreign and local), it is commendable that
despite its lack of an advert, which many consumers have termed as “arrogance”
on the company’s part, St Louis Sugar stays steadfast and in demand.
Culled From Gabriella Opara
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