KARACHI: Eid sales painted a varying picture around the country with some traders reporting brisk sales while others said the consumer out turn this year had been dismal.

Painting a grim picture, General Secretary Anjuman Tajiran City Faisalabad Chaudhry Mehmood Alam said “the sales might have fallen but definitely not risen since last year.”

He claimed that workers in textile mills received delayed salaries now instead of June 10 while many were paid only half salaries. As a result, these workers failed to turn up in the markets in big numbers.

Lower and middle class throng famous Faisalabad markets like Anarkali, Satiyar Road No.9 Gali Market, Jhang Bazar, Anarkali Samnabad, Regal Road and others while families of mill owners purchase Eid related items from Lahore, Dubai and abroad, he added.

General Secretary Anjuman Tajiran Pakistan Razak Babar, while giving sales outlook of various cities of Punjab like Lahore, Multan, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur etc, said sales of children garments, shoes, mobile phones and electronic items soared by 15 per cent from last year while wholesale sales of ladies and gents clothing fell by 25-30pc.

He said higher stitching cost of ladies and gents tailors in the last few years continued to push buyers towards readymade suits despite lower quality of fabric used in these.

President Markazi Tanzeem Tajiran Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and former President Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Sharafat Ali said sales have been depressed in Peshawar by 40-45pc from last year as people could not move freely due to construction of Bus Rapid Transit project.

“Consumers are getting very late to reach the markets due to under constructed roads leading to famous markets of Peshawar such as Saddar Road, Arbab Road, Shafi Market, University Road” he said, adding that well off families made Eid purchases from Islamabad.

Sharafat said sales in other cities like Mardan, Swabi etc have jumped by 15-20pc from last year due to improved security situation.

General Secretary Anjuman-e-Tajiran Balochistan Syed Abdul Qayum Agha said sales in various cities of Balochistan especially Quetta have shown 20pc growth from last year owing to better law and order situation.

“Almost all the shopkeepers of different items are happy in the province due to boom in sales.

Nobody told me that sales are lagging” he said.

Chairman of Anjuman Tajiran Southern Punjab and chairman All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran, Khaw­aja Suleman Siddiqui said Eid items’ sales fell by 20pc in Punjab. He claimed in other cities the sales have remained below the target, attributing the decline to rising cost of living.

“Gone are the days when people used to make more than one shalwar kameez. Now they rely on one suit due to cash crunch,” he said.

In Karachi, General Secretary All City Tajir Ittehad and chairman Traders Association Marriot Road Karachi, M. Ahmed Shamsi said sales of children garments, shoes, bangles, jewellery, readymade gents and ladies garments went up by 20-25pc as compared to last year due to better law and order situation.

“Sales this year would have been better if buying power had not come down in the last one year,” he said adding rupee devaluation against the dollar would further fuel food inflation.

Chairman Alliance of Arambagh Markets Association (comprising Jama Cloth, Eid Gah, Allahwala Market and Jama Mall), Asif Gulfam said sale of children related items remained on higher side while gents and ladies items’ sales were below expectation.

“Parents have spent more on their children rather than caring for themselves,” he said adding that most of the traders in Karachi were not satisfied as sales did not meet their expectations this year, especially in last 10 days prior to Eid.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2018