By Yemisi Suleiman

Polo Luxury recently welcomed Benjamin Comar, CEO of Swiss luxury watch and jewellery maison Piaget, to its head office in Lekki, Lagos, marking his first official visit to Nigeria and reinforcing the brand’s long-term commitment to the market.

Welcoming Comar to the country, Founder and Managing Director of Polo Mr John Obayuwana said the visit served to reinforce Piaget’s strategic commitment to deepening its roots and strengthening its presence among Nigeria’s affluent clientele.

He also reinforced the importance and benefits of the long term partnership between Polo and Piaget to its Nigerian consumers “We have been in meetings discussing strategy, improving logistics, product delivery, brand experience, customer journey and everything. The Nigerian consumer will no doubt benefit greatly from these collaborations.”

Speaking on the pivotal partnership, Comar described the alliance with Polo Luxury as a “natural and perfect match”, crediting Mr John Obayuwana, for pioneering luxury retail in Nigeria and understanding its evolving consumer landscape.

“It was only natural for us to have a partnership. John built this place very early, probably one of the first, so he knows the clientele and the people,” Comar said. “Once again, the Polo name, our bestselling watch is the Polo it’s a perfect match.”

Obayuwana, reflecting on the shifting dynamics of Nigeria’s luxury market, noted that Polo Luxury is adapting from an era defined solely by traditional “old money” customers to a broader, younger, self-made clientele.

“In the past, we had a completely different clientele; ministers, governors, wealthy families, old money. But as the economy has evolved, we’ve found that more and more young people are also becoming affluent,” he said.

“They’re succeeding in business, banking, finance, IT, and movies, and their needs are completely different. What they look for now isn’t the same as what their fathers wanted, so we too have to stay relevant. While remaining traditional and classic, we also have to address the needs of this younger generation.”

On navigating issues of authenticity and fake products in the market, Obayuwana noted that today’s customers are savvy, knowledgeable and well-traveled, and they look out for the slightest details “When shopping for luxury, they go online, do their research and they see that Polo is number one. All the brands we represent trust us—and even brands we don’t yet represent knock on our doors. They send us pieces to repair because we have a strong after-sales system.”

For over three decades, Polo Luxury has represented top global maisons in Nigeria’s high-end retail space. Alongside Piaget, the company is the official retailer of elite brands including Rolex, Cartier, IWC, Montblanc, and Swarovski.