Nigerians have emerged top spenders in luxury retail and VIP services at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport by passenger traffic. Although over 70 percent of people in the West African nation live on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank, its riches, concentrated in the hands of a few are freely spent on luxurious services abroad.
“Heathrow’s VIP Service was originally designed for dignitaries such as Heads of State but we recognised that the privacy and exclusivity that we offered is something that many passengers are looking for in their own lives. Making the service available to First Class and Business Class passengers, we now provide a quality experience that allows our passengers to enjoy a personalised service and we’re delighted to welcome many of these from Nigeria,” Jonathan Coen, Heathrow’s Retail Director said in a statement.
It also offers the Personal Shopping service, which is available to all passengers flying through the airport. Personal shoppers cater to language requirements with staff members who are fluent in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo as well as other local and international languages. Nigerian travellers – who patronise this service – spend an average of £1,059 ($1,594) per visit on luxury retail.