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A glimmer of hope

With lethargic sales in the first few days of the fair, traders hope performance will pick up in the last 20 days

Suman Saha
WITH declining political tensions after the January 5 national election, people are gradually coming out to the Dhaka International Trade Fair with food, clothing and kitchenware being among their first picks.
Traders say people prefer to shop for these items at the fair as they get the opportunity to see a wide range of products at the same venue before making a purchase. However, with lethargic sales in the first few days of the fair, they hope performance will recoup enthusiasm in the last 20 days.
"We usually wait for the annual show as it gives us an option to boost sales and make customers aware of our new products," said Md Kazi Al Hasan, marketing officer of Nabisco Biscuit and Bread Factory Ltd.
Customers buy biscuits and confectionery items from the fair as these are basically low priced products, he said.
Nabisco, which is offering special packages ranging between Tk 150 and Tk 250, is showcasing all 74 of their products at the exhibition, said Hasan.
Although turnout has improved from the first week, traders and companies are not happy over still sluggish sales at the stalls and pavilions. Most traders reported poor sales compared to the first 10 days of the fair last year.
"Our sales are not satisfactory till date," said Hasan. Nabisco's sales at the fair in the first 10 days of this year are 10 percent lower than the same time last year.
Sales of clothing items such as saris, salwar suits, shawls, jackets and blazers have also witnessed a sluggish trend in the first 10 days of the exhibition.
"We are passing a difficult time as few customers are buying clothing items," said Abdul Mohammed Rubai, in-charge of the Rajshahi silk and Bengal Textile pavilion.
Sales at Fit Elegance, a leading tailoring house, have declined by around 5 percent compared to the same time in the last fair, said Golam Rabbani, pavilion in-charge and manager of its Bailey Road branch. The prolonged political unrest has had a serious impact on the purchasing power of the customers, he added.
Fit Elegance is selling men's suits at Tk 3,000 a piece at the fair, which has an outlet price of between Tk 11,000 and Tk 24,000.
The price of a blazer has been brought down to Tk 2,400 from Tk 5,000 and for trousers to Tk 900 from Tk 2,000-Tk 4,000, said Rabbani.
Kiam Metal Industries Ltd that makes non-stick cooking ware, pressure cookers, hot pots and aluminum pots is more or less happy with sales in the last 10 days.
"We have so far received good responses from the customers," said Md Faruque Hossan, market promotion officer of Kiam Meta) Industries.