Business Desk :
Smiles have finally returned to the faces of the country’s retailers as shoppers have flocked to markets to complete their Eid shopping since the beginning of Ramadan.
Shop owners have fought an uphill battle to stay afloat since the pandemic hit the country two years ago as the outbreak of the lethal pathogen ate up their sales in all four Eid festivals that were celebrated during the period.
But sales have rebounded in style since the fasting month began and it will continue before Eid-ul-Fitr, which accounts for more than a third of lifestyle retail sales in Bangladesh. This has extended a much-needed respite to the businesses, which suffered huge losses throughout the pandemic.
Mahdi Hossain, who works at a bank, accompanied his wife and sons to Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, the country’s premier shopping centre as the family was out to carry out Eid shopping.
“This is the first time I have been out shopping at a mall without feeling any fear in the last two years. I am really feeling happy.”
Rifat Jahan, a residence of Mirpur, began Eid shopping last Friday, buying clothes for her, son and relatives from an outlet of a lifestyle brand, which was full of shoppers.
In Dhaka and the rest of the country, retailers, from clothing shops to lifestyle brands to electric appliance sellers, all have reported strong sales.
This correspondent went to the Aarong’s outlet in Mirpur 1 three times in the first half of Ramadan and was only able to enter the outlet once because of the crowd.
“An unprecedented number of people are participating in the shopping and people from all income groups are buying products,” said Mohammad Ashraful Alam, Chief Executive Officer of the lifestyle brand.
According to him, the sales of Aarong, which has 25 outlets, will surpass the pre-pandemic Eid-ul-Fitr sales of 2019 by more than 40 per cent.
The turnover in Aarong’s newly launched half a dozen outlets has also been phenomenal.
“We have opened several shops outside Dhaka and the response has been huge. I think people have long been waiting to do shopping in a relaxed manner.”
The sales recovery came as coronavirus caseloads have dropped sharply. No death linked to the virus was reported yesterday.
SM Khaled, managing director of retail clothing brand SaRa Lifestyle, said the demand from all segments of customers is high.
SaRa was launched with only one shop in 2018 and it has now nine outlets and the sales in all of the shops have been tremendous, according to Khaled.
According to Md Raihan Kabir, head of marketing at Yellow, a lifestyle brand owned by Beximco, the shopping trend this season is different.
“People started hitting our outlets before Ramadan, and most of the customers are, in fact, buying. Customers are coming in groups, with friends and family members. The shopping has turned into a festival,” he said.
Although the physical presence of customers is strong, Aarong, SaRa and Yellow all have seen a good response from their online customers as well. “Online shopping surged during the pandemic as people were confined indoor. So, we had thought it would see a decline this year. But surprisingly online sales have surpassed our expectations,” said Kabir.
