Retailers post footfall and sales rise on Eid festivities

With the ‘Eid in Dubai – Eid Al Adha' celebrations in full swing, shoppers have been eagerly picking up the amazing offers and discounts on offer across the fashion, electronic, luxury and jewellery retail sectors.
Retailers have also been benefiting from the extended duration of the ‘Eid in Dubai' celebrations that is organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, or DFRE, an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) with an influx of more visitors this season. ‘Eid in Dubai' was launched on September 25 and will conclude on October 11.
The sectors that have seen the biggest growth include electronics, jewellery, watches and fashion — with electronics receiving a boost from Gitex Shopper — which coincides with the celebrations. Nadeem Khanzadah, head, OmniChannel Retail, Jumbo Electronics, said: "The ‘Eid in Dubai – Eid Al Adha' celebrations is a fantastic initiative by DFRE, and at Jumbo Electronics we have seen overall sales jump by more than 25 per cent over last year already during the Eid period, which also coincided with Gitex Shopper. In addition to U.A.E. residents shopping in huge numbers, the celebration this year has also encouraged GCC tourists to spend more time in the city and we have seen this reflected in the increased customer traffic into our stores and the corresponding surge in our sales numbers.
"The best numbers have come in the smartphones category, fuelled by the new launches of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the Sony Xperia Z3, and new brands such as Obi Mobiles, Oppo and Xolo, which target young and trendy consumers with feature-rich devices at aggressive price points. The smartphone category has grown 40 per cent over the same Eid and Gitex period last year.”
Commenting on the impact made by ‘Eid in Dubai' on the luxury retail segment, Abraham Koshy, COO – Watch Division, Rivoli Group, said: "As a leading luxury lifestyle retailer, the Rivoli Group has continued to trade well during the festive period and we anticipate achieving record business for Eid. During the gifting season people tend to shop for luxury watches and accessories amongst other things.
"DFRE has created a successful model event with ‘Eid in Dubai', and extending the length of this year's celebrations has worked as a catalyst to maximise our sales. This season we have achieved double digit growth rate over last year and believe it is due to the prolonged activities being offered during this ‘Eid in Dubai'”
With jewellery sales especially high during the gifting season of Eid, Chandu Siroya, managing director, Siroya Jewellers, said: "Eid is a special time for all to buy gifts for both family and friends and what better gift than a piece of jewellery. Generally, sales of jewellery during the week of Eid Al Adha are very good. This year gold prices are also very favourable to the customers, and this is encouraging them to invest more in jewellery gifting. Sales during this year are about 10 to 15 per cent higher than last year during the same period. I find that all types of jewellery are in good demand but the sale of bangles is at its highest this year.”
Raed Baker, chairman of Liali Jewellery, added: "We are very upbeat about Eid and expect at least 20 per cent sales growth as we are located in all major shopping malls from residents and GCC tourists and have also increased our advertising spend around this period to achieve the same. With gold prices being so low, this is an opportunity not to be missed! For diamond lovers, we have introduced new pieces in three of our collections that are very affordable.”
Source: Khaleej Times