Gazi Anowarul Hoque :
Bangladeshi products are facing tough competition as foreign goods like fashion wear, cosmetics, shoes and electronic goods were flooded in Bangladesh markets.
Although Bangladeshi goods are getting international reputation but local buyers are eager to buy foreign goods either it is less standard or below quality than local ones.
When our correspondent visited some local markets he saw huge rush at foreign shops rather than local ones. At Bashundhara City Shopping Mall he saw huge rush at Indian chain shop ‘Mustafa Mart’ but local outlets are less customer.
When asked Mustafa Mart manager said, huge collections of internationally reputed branded items and one-stop services helped them to attract customers to their outlet. After installation of the shop in the market the sales of its items rises numerously.
Shop-owners of the market claimed that their daily sales have fallen drastically. Glittery of foreign products of the new shop faded glaze of local produces.
Talking to the daily New Nation, both shoppers and traders said that arrival of such type of chain shop would benefit the country nothing because cent percent products that the chain shop sells are of foreign made. A substantial amount of hard earned foreign currency siphoned off from the country.
“The shop is drawing attention of a large number of customers posing serious threat to business of hundreds of other shops there,” a leader of Bashundhara City Shop Owners Association told the NN preferring anonymity. He also said that their daily sales have fallen by over fifty per cent after opening of the shop in the market. Businesses, mainly that of readymade garment, cosmetics, shoes, toys and winter clothes are the worst victims of the situation, he added.
In charge of INFINITY Mega Mall at Bashundhara City told NN reporter that their daily sales were around Tk 1.0 million till December 12, but the sales have now come down to only around 0.4 to 0.5 million. “We use to serve a huge number of sophisticated customers every day before operation of Mustafa Mart here,” he added, ” After Eid-Ul-Fitr we have to think otherwise.”
Ruhul Amin, showroom in charge of WESTECS, an exclusive fashion house, said, they are planning to bring changes in their business strategy for sustainability. “Most of our products are designed and made by our own people. So, we strongly believe that the new strategic policy of our company would help us regain our business soon,” Amin added.
Kamal U Ahmed, proprietor of TRAX Shoes, claimed, comparatively smaller and medium-sized shops and shops with small capital are suffering seriously. “We used to sale shoes of over one lakh taka per day but now sales have come down to around fifty percent a day before Eid,” Ahmed added.
