By Chika Ogechi and Onyinyechi Ezeh

A visitor to the Faculty of Management Sciences, FMS, Hall A of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT will be greeted, before the entrance, with a signpost advertising a Mini-mart by the Department of Marketing.

Established in 2023, ESUT Monitor reporters visited the mini-mart recently, not really to shop but to make enquires.

Our curiosity was anchored on the fact that the market was not there for a period of time but materialised “from the blue moon”.

The inquiring took us to the Head of the Department, Professor Nebo Gerald Nworah who provided answers and explained why the mini-mart was established

First, the reporters sort to know why the Mini-mart was established.

“The establishment of a mini-mart in marketing department was informed by two major decisions – It’s a major prerequisite for the accreditation of the department.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) including marketing experts and professionals, requires that wherever marketing department exists in an institution of higher learning, it must have a mini-mart as a prerequisite for accreditation.

“The mini-mart had always been there but had an issue since the university moved down from Enugu to Agbani. After the relocation, the department had been nurturing the establishment of a new mini-mart in Agbani until the need for the accreditation of the department pushed us into establishing one and this led to the department’s accreditation on December 1, 2023,” the HoD said.

Prof Nebo also explained the importance of having a Mini-mart in the department and the right nomenclature applied. He added that, a Mini-mart is also known as a merchandising or marketing lab but is popularly called a mini-mart for lay man’s understanding.

“In the language of NUC, it is a marketing lab just like every other labs in Engineering, Pure Sciences, Medicine, Med Lab, Pharmacy etc. They use these labs for their practicals.

“In mini-mart, marketing labs are used to practise courses such as Wholesale and Retail Management. Students are taken to the lab to teach them how to fix prices, mark up and competitive prices, etc. They learn practically about packaging, labeling and product display and cashing.”

Aside the educational value it offers to the students, it also serves the university community as one could easily work into the market to get his/her snacks during the day and staionaries.

“The mini-mart was also established to reduce the stress of students and workers going to the park to get school stationeries like, school uniforms in the Faculty of Management Sciences, pen, markers, exercise books and snacks.

“Summarily, the mini-mart is established to satisfy NUC requirements, teach the practical aspect of marketing courses and meet the needs of the students in the department.”

The Department of Marketing Mini-mart is usually opens by 8:00am and closes by 5:00pm each working days.

So, wouldn’t you rather shop in the Department of Marketing mini-mart? A first time shopping will bring you back to the market, certainly.