Shopping picks up well ahead of Eid

Sales in the capital's shopping-malls and boutique shops saw significant upturns Friday as people prepare for celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, over a fortnight afar now.

The sellers, this time around, are enjoying dividends of political peacetime. This time last year, they had suffered setbacks from turmoil in political turfs over poll issues.           

Traders said their overall selling activities increased over 40 per cent than that of last year as the country's political environment is stable. Some of them said their sales will further pick up from mid-Ramadan.

Visiting different shopping spots, the correspondent observed people moving around purchasing wears and other gift items for their near and dear ones for the biggest Muslim festival coming after a month of daytime fasting by devotees.

However, the shoppers claimed the prices of all sorts of festival wears and accessories increased on the occasion of Eid.

Ms Mahmuda, who came from Narayanganj to Bashundhara City Shopping Mall to buy eid dresses and items for her daughters, said the prices are high on all types of products.

There are no notable changes in designs, fashion or fabrics but there are in price tags even then. "Prices are being charged higher by more than Tk 500 in each item," she observed.

On the other hand, maximum number of shop owners agreed over the price hike, saying that at least Tk 200 increased per item.   

Mohammad Alam, a salesman at Rahmim Fashion, a kid's wear shop at Bashundhara City, expressed satisfaction over his selling spree. He said they were getting good response from the customers.

"We are getting our target sale and it will continue till the last day of Ramadan," he said on a note of optimism about a final binge.

Shop owners said although the demand is high for Indian and Pakistani wears among the customers, local fashions have as much demand because of their creative designs and comparative adorable prices.

A salesperson of Chaiti, a local fashion house, at city's Navana Bailey Star, said local and Indian wears both have demand among the fashion-lovers.

They saw same gatherings in front of local and Indian dresses' counters in the showroom. "My sale has increased at least 50 per cent this year."

The prices vary from Tk 1000 to 2500 each of local dresses and Tk 3000 to Tk 10,000 each Indian dresses at the Chaiti outlet, he said. But people are buying mostly medium-range wears.

There were huge shopper gatherings at Deshi Dosh, the local boutique shops zone at Bashundhara City. A salesman at Banglar Mela said their sales increased this year. "The fashion-lovers are fond of local dresses as festival wears," he opined.

But there were some traders who expressed mixed reactions. They said they were yet to get festival sale this year. Customers are not purchasing high- priced dresses.

The sales manager of Fashion Palace at the Bashundhara City said customers search low-price dresses. But they have kept in their collection high-end products, with prices ranging from Tk 6000 to 55000 each.

But he hoped the sale will increase during the rest of the days of Ramadan.

A salesman at Twin Tower Concord Shopping Complex said his sales increased 30 per cent. He displayed Indian and Chinese kid's wears named floor touch, Pakhi, dancing frock. Price ranges up to Tk 8,000 each.

Like in last year, fashion and boutique houses have brought long kamiz, frock-cutting kamiz and saris with various eye-catching designs and colours for women.

Traders displayed Ganga, Rivva and Om Tex, Vipul, Delhi Boutique, Zinam    the Indian-brand shalwar-kamiz sets, which have some changes in design and colour this year.

The traders said customers have to spend minimum Tk 5,000 for each party dress from the aforementioned brands.