Boutique houses charge high prices ahead of Eid
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Arafat Ara
Prices of almost all kinds of dresses have increased by around Tk 200 per item ahead of the Eid-ul Azha festival, forcing the customers to reduce their shopping budget.
Boutique house owners, however, defended the price hike, saying that recent increase of fabric price at both local and overseas markets is behind the upward trend of price.
"We did not increase the price of our products for a long time but presently we are bound to raise it due to price hike of fabric. We have increased prices of all dresses, including sarees, by Tk 50 to Tk 100 per item," Bahar Rahman, owner of Nitta Upohar at Aziz Super Market in the city's Shahbagh area told the FE.
He also said they sold a t-shirt at Tk 160 three months back but presently they have to charge Tk 20 more for the same item.
Aminur Islam Babu, in charge of Saima Fashion of Baily Road branch said they are yet to raise prices of their stocked items because they will have to raise prices after the festival if the spiraling price of raw materials continues.
The scenario at fashion houses and boutique houses in the city's Mouchak, Baily Road, Malibagh shops and New Market and the expensive shopping malls remains the same.
Many of the owners claimed they raised prices of their products as they focused on expensive designs of their products, mainly for girls wears.
But the customers rejected their claim, saying that prices of such items have gone up by more than Tk 300 in the recent time, signalling that the owners have been properly capitalising the Eid in the name of expensive design as well as global yarn price hike.
"We're being forced to minimise our shopping budget as our income has not increased in proportion to the rate of price hike," a customer said, adding that she bought a three-piece item for Tk 800 two months back, which is now being charged Tk 1,200.
An infuriated male customer said the shop owners raised price of dresses both for girls and boys in recent days on the eve of Eid festival unnecessarily citing prices of raw materials.
"Salesmen had charged Tk 800 for a jeans pant 60 days back but they are charging Tk 1200 to Tk 1300 for the same product," he said.
The prices of yarn in both local and international markets rose to $5.50 to $5.60 per kg in recent period which was about $1.0 or less in two months back and less than $ 3.0 two years back.
The prices of cotton and yarn shot up in recent months due to crop production failure in different countries including Uzbekistan, China, Pakistan and Brazil.
Although importers claim the price hike is related to the cotton yarn's price increase in the international market, the leaders say the yarn price in the country has been going up erratically.
The price of each pound of 40/1 counts, which is used for all types of cotton clothes, has also increased to Tk 155 per pound from Tk 81, while the price of a pound of 80/1 counts yarn used for Tangail and Jamdani sarees has increased to Tk 275 from Tk 175.
Prices of almost all kinds of dresses have increased by around Tk 200 per item ahead of the Eid-ul Azha festival, forcing the customers to reduce their shopping budget.
Boutique house owners, however, defended the price hike, saying that recent increase of fabric price at both local and overseas markets is behind the upward trend of price.
"We did not increase the price of our products for a long time but presently we are bound to raise it due to price hike of fabric. We have increased prices of all dresses, including sarees, by Tk 50 to Tk 100 per item," Bahar Rahman, owner of Nitta Upohar at Aziz Super Market in the city's Shahbagh area told the FE.
He also said they sold a t-shirt at Tk 160 three months back but presently they have to charge Tk 20 more for the same item.
Aminur Islam Babu, in charge of Saima Fashion of Baily Road branch said they are yet to raise prices of their stocked items because they will have to raise prices after the festival if the spiraling price of raw materials continues.
The scenario at fashion houses and boutique houses in the city's Mouchak, Baily Road, Malibagh shops and New Market and the expensive shopping malls remains the same.
Many of the owners claimed they raised prices of their products as they focused on expensive designs of their products, mainly for girls wears.
But the customers rejected their claim, saying that prices of such items have gone up by more than Tk 300 in the recent time, signalling that the owners have been properly capitalising the Eid in the name of expensive design as well as global yarn price hike.
"We're being forced to minimise our shopping budget as our income has not increased in proportion to the rate of price hike," a customer said, adding that she bought a three-piece item for Tk 800 two months back, which is now being charged Tk 1,200.
An infuriated male customer said the shop owners raised price of dresses both for girls and boys in recent days on the eve of Eid festival unnecessarily citing prices of raw materials.
"Salesmen had charged Tk 800 for a jeans pant 60 days back but they are charging Tk 1200 to Tk 1300 for the same product," he said.
The prices of yarn in both local and international markets rose to $5.50 to $5.60 per kg in recent period which was about $1.0 or less in two months back and less than $ 3.0 two years back.
The prices of cotton and yarn shot up in recent months due to crop production failure in different countries including Uzbekistan, China, Pakistan and Brazil.
Although importers claim the price hike is related to the cotton yarn's price increase in the international market, the leaders say the yarn price in the country has been going up erratically.
The price of each pound of 40/1 counts, which is used for all types of cotton clothes, has also increased to Tk 155 per pound from Tk 81, while the price of a pound of 80/1 counts yarn used for Tangail and Jamdani sarees has increased to Tk 275 from Tk 175.