Clothing store sales rise ahead of Eid

Retailers are feeling the pressure as large crowds of consumers scramble to make last-minute purchases ahead of Eid.
Experts estimated the volume of sales of apparel stores at about SR11 billion despite the fact that price of clothing has increased by about 30 percent.
Families have different views toward apparel shopping, as some see such purchases as necessities, while others seek to please their children and offer them a sense of the joy of Eid.
Mohammed Al-Shihri, committee chairman of Clothing and Fabrics at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, described the Eid season as being a strong period where stores and markets recover in the few days before Eid. However, sales remain the same as last year due to the state of recession, which hasn’t been accounted for. According to Al-Shihri, retailers are experiencing rising prices, due mainly to feminization of several shops, the costs imposed by the Ministry of Labor, and the higher costs of shipping and imports of all clothing.
“It is no secret that the Ramadan season is a chance for the retailer to display all apparel and products, and such items may not necessarily be older goods or ones with manufacturing defects,” Al-Shihri said. “Rather, these might just be items from the previous season. The Saudi consumer always seeks to purchase the newest and latest fashion products, but what happens is that the retailer wishes to display the newer products, and thus, most of the stores resort to putting up signs of discounts and deals.
Shopper Suad Shuqairi said that new Eid clothes for children is a tradition.
Shuqairi recalls how she used to go with her mother during Ramadan to buy Eid necessities, adding that she never used to challenge her mother’s taste in clothing. This, she explains, is certainly not the case today as young girls prefer to follow their own tastes instead of parents'.
Shopper Dania Al-Madani said: “The younger generation no longer feels the pleasure of buying Eid clothing and new items. In the past, families used to save money for Eid during Ramadan and would not buy much throughout the year. This is not the case now.”
Rima Alrabga is a young girl who keeps pace with what’s new in the world of fashion. “My mother was trying to impose her taste on my clothing, but when I was 12 I decided to choose what suited me most,” Alrabga said. “When I was in high school, I learned about websites and how to purchase clothing online, which gave me the opportunity to wear whatever is in line with international fashion.”
Esra Khaled sees price cuts that precede Ramadan as an opportunity to purchase and prepare for the holiday.
Ghassan Maraai, marketing manager at a local shop, said that during the past two years, the clothing market has seen a rise in prices of about 30 percent due to the high cost of shipping and importing. The market, he said, will experience additional increases in prices, as shops now need two sales women and a security guard, as opposed to one sales person needed in the past. This will lead to an increase in the investor costs.
Store manager Mukhtar Khalil said that many families see the price cuts as an opportunity to meet their needs without facing high prices.