Thin turnout as shops reopen
Malls and markets reopened yesterday after closures for nearly three weeks owing to lockdowns imposed to combat the resurgence of Covid-19 infections.
Customer turnout on the first day had been low. And shop operators say most of the shoppers visited stores to buy essential items.
"We got one-third of the customers we had got during normal business days prior to the lockdowns," said Dewan Aminul Islam Shahin, president of the Dhaka New Market Business Association. On the first day, Abdul Alim, owner of Alim Pushpa Bitan in Shahbag, could sell only Tk 700 worth of flowers since the demand was low.
"The frequency of gatherings and ceremonies has declined because of the pandemic. This has affected our sales," he said. Mosharef Hossain Mojumder, in-charge of Chandrabindu Fashion House in the capital's Mirpur, was mentally prepared that there would not be enough customers on the first day.
"It will take a couple of weeks for the sales to return to normalcy," he said. Only four buyers visited the outlet throughout the day. "They bought clothes for children," he said.
Helal Uddin, president of the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, said overall sales would be as much as 15 per cent of normal days. There were gatherings at hawkers' shops, he added. Bangladesh has more than 25 lakh wholesale and retail trade units.
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