& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Eid shopping perks up early

Sohel. Parvez
Shopping ahead of Eid festivity' has picked up the pace as retailers logged rising sales in the last two weeks.
Shoppers are roaming the markets, checking out the latest in designs and gift items. Traders who are gearing up for the year's biggest shopping time say sales have peaked at both retail and wholesale points.
"It appears to be a good season for sales this year. Buyers have already started trickling in to purchase clothes for Eid," said Luthfar Ralunan, general secretary of Sharif Market Dokan Malik Samity in Old Dhaka.
Sharif Market is one of the largest wholesale points for punjabi, a traditional garment for men. Demand for punjabi surges during Eid as Muslims wear new ones to Eid prayers.
At the moment, it is mostly the suburban retailers and wholesalers who are now purchasing men's, women’s and children’s clothing from Old Dhaka.
“1 bought punjabis worth Tk 100,000 along with oilier clothing items. I think I will have to come back to Dhaka by August-end to stock more items to sell to Eid shoppers," said retailer Jewel Ahmed, who came from Comilla to buy garments from wholesalers in Old Dhaka.
Clothing traders said the festival helps them register more than 40 percent of their annual sales, due to the buying frenzy among all, irrespective of class or income. This encourages retailers to procure more.
The month provides retailers, wholesalers and distributors a combined turnover of about Tk 14,000 crore, out of full-year turnover of nearly Tk 35,000 crore, according to the association of shop owners — Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity.
“1 want to invest about Tk 15 lakh in garments to cater to the needs of Eid buyers. Last Eid. I sold goods worth in excess of Tk 15 lakh. I hope sales this year will exceed my shop’s records for the previous year, said Mohammad Hanif, a retailer from Narayanganj. He bought dozens of shirts and punjabis from wholesalers at Bangabazar on Saturday.
City retailers are also optimistic about
sales this year, as customers have already increased in the last (wo weeks. However, customers dropped slightly in the last three days, on account offasting.
"Eid shoppers have started coming in, but not in high numbers,’’ Md Salahuddin. manager of Big Bell at Rapa Plaza.
“We are recording sales worth Tk 30,000 daily, on an average. Two weeks ago, our daily average sale was about I k 20,000, he said. "But we hope the figures to rise ahead of Eid."
However, the expected sales bonanza would materialise only if shopping hours are relaxed, retailers said.
In bids to manage the power crisis, the government earlier imposed restrictions on shopping hours. Shops are not allowed to remain open after 8pm.
Recently, shops were given the permission to remain open until 10pm only on Fridays and Saturdays.
But shop operators said the move would not help much. Rather, it may create a mad rush to the shops on weekends.
"We receive nearly half of our customers during the day and the remaining half at nigh time. If the restrictions on shopping hours continue, it would be difficult for us to cross last year's sales figures," said Khairul Ahmed, manager of a children's wear shop -- Cathay.
"If there is a sharp rise in customer flow, it does not help increase sales, as we cannot handle the rush all at a time," he said.
Amir Hossain Khan, chairman of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity, also said shoppers started visiting the shops in the last two weeks.
“We had a total turnover of Tk 14,000 crore during the last Eid season. This year, it may top atTk 15,000 crore, if the government relaxes the restrictions on shop hours. Otherwise, sales may dive to Tk 10,000 crore,” he said.
Khalid Mahmood Khan, director of Kay Kraft, a leading fashion boutique house, said the present shopping hours are inconvenient for nine-to-fivers.
"If we fail to achieve our sale targets, producers in rural areas will suffer as we will not be able to pay their dues." sohel@thedailystar.net