Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
Eid shopping in different city malls has picked up momentum, as only two weeks to go to the biggest religious festival for Muslims.
The shopping spree will increase further in the coming days when many job holders will receive their festival bonuses.
During visits to several shopping centres by the FE it is found that a huge number of shoppers from different stratum of society are now thronging the malls and buying clothes of their choice. Many of them said the price of their desired items have increased slightly.
Most of the traders expressed satisfaction with the increased sales while some said that they are still waiting for their sales to grow more.
Humayun Kabir, a trader in Baily Road area, said there has been a significant rise in the number of customers in the last several days. "We have had a huge number of buyers today though it is slightly lower than that of the previous day (Friday)," he said.
Mr Kabir, owner of RR Collection, sells women's attire collected from local sources as well as neighbouring countries like India and Pakistan. "Bangladeshi women have been showing their keen interests in Pakistani three-piece sets for the last several years. This year has witnessed a further increase in its demand since Bangladeshi traders' access has been limited to India," he said.
Pakistani attire is becoming popular due to their quality and unique design, while many buyers are looking for alternatives to Indian goods, he said.
In addition to three-piece sets, other clothes including saris, punjabis, shirts, T-shirts, baby items, and footwear are also selling.
Ashiqur Rahman, a buyer, was carrying shopping bags inside Bashundhara City Shopping Mall in the city's Panthapath area. Highlighting the price hike to varied extent, he said: "We can't help buying some new clothes for the young and senior family members. We cannot think of Eid without buying new clothes for our family members," he said.
During the visits, branded outlets were seen attracting more customers than non-branded ones.
Khairul Alam, who is in charge of local fashion brand Deshal, Bashundhara City branch, said the sales has fulfilled their expectation. "People are looking for colourful cotton attire for comfort. We have a huge collection of attire decorated with handwork that brings uniqueness to the clothes," he said.
saif.febd@gmail.com