Eid shopping: Clothing stores other than brands fail to pull crowd
Eid and Pahela Baishakh contribute to 75% of the total sale of the local fashion market, traders say
The turnout of Eid shoppers was relatively low at small clothing stores in shopping malls of the capital, compared to the well-known brand shops on Friday.
Visiting Bashundhara City Shopping Mall in Panthapath yesterday, this correspondent saw long queues of customers at the outlets of brands such as YELLOW, Gentle Park, Aarong, Twelve Clothing and Mbrella. However, the presence of customers was thin in general shops.
Al Amin, manager of Gentle Park, told The Business Standard that their sale was satisfactory on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, like last year.
Manager of Mbrella said they are experiencing an increased pressure of customers.
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Visiting yesterday, a large crowd of shoppers was seen at the Moghbazar outlet of Panjabi brand Nobin Fashion. They were selling Panjabi for Tk500-1500 each.
President of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association Md Helal Uddin told TBS that the customers of branded clothing items are mainly from the affluent class. However, small and medium-sized businesses are currently experiencing a challenging situation.
Ferdous Ahmed, a saree seller at Dhaka New Super Market, told TBS that though the turnout of shoppers was huge on the day, the sales were low.
He said their sales in the Eid market have decreased by 30% compared to last year.
"We had to buy clothes at a 15% increased rate from wholesale, but customers are bargaining, keeping in mind last year's rate. As a result, we cannot make a good profit from the sale."
Nazma Begum, proprietor of a small clothing store in Moghbazar's Nayatola, said the sale would reach Tk50,000 on any holiday [Friday] before Eid-ul-Fitr in the past years, but yesterday she could not make it to even Tk10,000.
According to traders, Pahela Baishakh and Eid are two main occasions, accounting for a substantial 75% of the total sale of Tk30,000 crore local fashion market.
Talking to TBS, several traders at the Mouchak Market attributed the decline in sales at general markets to the rising living costs.
Due to the increased living costs, a significant number of consumers have curtailed their expenditure on purchasing clothes, shoes, and other items during this Eid, they said.
