Eid shopping heats up in Dhaka
One week into Ramadan, Chattogram’s Eid market remains quiet
With Eid-ul-Fitr just a few weeks away, people have already begun their shopping for the upcoming festival since Friday morning, which marks the first weekend of Ramadan this year.
Several markets and shopping malls in Dhaka experienced a surge in sales as customers rushed in to purchase clothes, shoes, ornaments, and other items.
In the early hours on Friday, crowds of people were seen flocking to the markets and shopping malls across the city. As the day progressed, the influx of shoppers intensified.
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Jisan Hasan, manager of Sara Fashion's Bashundhara Shopping Complex outlet, said, "We have been receiving a high volume of visitors since this morning. The number of customers increased after iftar."
He mentioned that they experienced a rush of customers in the first two days of Ramadan. But the pressure of buyers fell in the next few days.
"However, the number of customers has risen again today, and we think that this surge will persist until Eid," he added.
Rakibul Islam, an imitation jewellery seller at Mirpur Muktijoddha Market, said, "As the day progressed, the number of people also continued to increase. While Fridays tend to be crowded, we are receiving slightly more customers than usual today."
Kamrul Islam, owner of Saiki Fashion in Dhaka New Market, stated, "We are having a good sale today. Girls' clothing is selling more than boys' clothing."
A shopper named Urmi Sumaiya said that she came today specifically to buy clothes for her children, which takes a little more time. "Since I am a service holder, I won't have time to shop except on my day off. As for shopping for myself, I may have to wait until my next day off," she added.
Ctg Eid market yet to gain momentum
Even after the first week of Ramadan, the Eid market in Chattogram has yet to gain momentum.
Business leaders in Chattogram said local businessmen have invested approximately Tk10,000 crore for Eid-ul-Fitr this year. Of the amount, around Tk1,000 crore new investments.
After being impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic for two consecutive years, the traders tried to rebound during last year's Eid. However, this year, despite the rise in the prices of goods, there are still no buyers even though Eid is only three weeks away, they said.
Ahmed Hossain, general secretary of the Teribazar Traders Association, said that there are approximately 3,000 shops in 110 markets in Teribazar.
"Small shops have invested a minimum of Tk20-Tk50 lakh, while big shops have invested an average of more than Tk1 crore in these markets focusing on the Eid. However, the problem lies in the fact that buyers have not yet arrived to purchase clothes," he said.
Mohammad Jewel, owner of Charulata Sarees in Chattogram New Market, stated that they have collected sarees for Eid from different parts of the country, but they have only been able to sell sarees worth less than Tk10 lakh in the last week.
