Garment sales rise by record 30% this season

Garment sales rise by record 30% this season
Daily Times, Pakistan
By Razi Syed

KARACHI: The sale of ladies and children garments hit a record about 30 percent increase during this season as compared with last year’s at different shopping centres and markets in Karachi this Ramazan.

The owners and officials of the outlet said last year during Ramazan, sales of readymade garments recorded some 20 percent increase. “This Ramazan we noticed increased sale of ladies and children’s varieties,” they added.

The garments and clothes’ traders in the city’s main markets including Tariq Road, M A Jinnah Road, Saddar, Paposh Nagar, Liaquatabad, Clifton, Hyderi Market, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauher said the general prices of ladies and children garments remained at the same level but they offered slightly higher rates for quality material.

A wholesale merchant at a shopping mall on Tariq Road, said prices of ladies garments (three piece) at different shopping malls and outlets in the city range between Rs 750 to Rs 2,200 a pair. Sales of garments made from imported clothes at different shopping plazas and shops registered an increase between 25 to 30 percent, said Nasir Ali of Al-Aleem garments at Millennium Mall.

He said most of the buyers with bargaining power prefer China-made fine cloth and want varieties of designs for their children, as they were comfortable and comparably cheaper as compared with others. Prices of children’s garments range between Rs 250 to Rs 500 a pair. Locally made ladies’ wears were being sold at Rs 450 to Rs 1,000 per pair depending on quality of the cloth, he said. A large number of customers prefer to buy garments for their children instead of going to tailors as the demand is seen higher as compared to last year on back of higher rates of sewing,” a shopkeeper at Hyderi Market said.

“Prices are a bit higher in the markets and many people cannot afford so they visit secondhand cloth markets for their requirements,” Farooq Ahmad, a secondhand cloth, pullover and sweater dealer in secondhand cloth market Karachi said. He said we have planned to sell our goods on cut price this winter and on Eid to benefit the needy.

“The upward trend in the price of the secondhand market commodities is due to Eid-ul-Fitr and growing demand of tapestry, shirts, T shirts, trousers, carpets and shoes,” said Nazar Khan Achukzai of Nanai Shoes and Bags House at Bhogwala building in the market.

“Due to influx of Chinese and Korean goods the secondhand clothes and shoes’ traders have competitive rates, but our rates are still lower,” a local secondhand cloth trader said.

He said Eid is an added factor in growing demand of clothes. We also sell shoes made by small shoe units and they are fairly cheaper than in the other shoe stores, he added.

Abdul Karim of Al Karim Garments, specialist in making coat, suits, shirts, pants and Safari suits said winter is ahead and Eid is an added factor to the increase in demand as well as we charge a little extra on account of Eid.

We use imported secondhand cloths. The trousers and coats tailored in large sizes are imported under head of secondhand cloths, he added.

“We offer suits at Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,600, coats at Rs 600 to Rs 700, pants and shirts at Rs 250 to Rs 350 respectively,” he said.

Fateh Muhammad of Best to Dress Shop in the market said we make suits for Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,400 while coats range from Rs 400 to Rs 600. They also make shirts, T-shirts and V coat and jeans. “We are asking 10 percent more prices on every product, but we know we will get an increased price of around 6 percent to 7 percent at the end of the day,” Mr Muhammad said.

However, he said, “The prices of all sorts of goods in the market are high and overall an increase up to 10 percent will be noticed,” he said, adding that last year prices were high but not did not touch 10 percent.

Mahboob Garments is also tailoring the suits, pants, shirts and coats on order. “We sow all sorts of men garments on order and also offer readymade garments made with imported cloth,” the owner said.

“I am charging according to the approach and appearance of the customers as well as the price is slightly higher than the last year,” he added.

A shopkeeper of leather and artificial leather bags on condition of anonymity said, “I am selling the products on last year’s rates, however if one is satisfied to pay according to my price, it is good.”

Samad Hussain and Fareed Khan, dealing in carpets and rugs and tapestry said, on every Eid women do shopping of these items as a trend. “These customers belong to middle and lower middle class and want to change the tapestry and carpets on Eid-ul-Fitr, they opined. This winter the prices will go up, they added.

Bismillah Khan, a blanket vendor said due to Eid-ul-Fitr the housewives prefer to change their households besides winter shopping of blankets is also on rise.