Markets gear up for Eid bonanza

Author: 
By Mohammed Alkhereiji, Arab News Staff
Publication Date: 
Tue, 2002-12-03 03:00

JEDDAH, 3 December 2002 — As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, the Kingdom’s private retail sector is reflecting on gains during the year’s most lucrative shopping season and gearing up for the commercial frenzy that is the Eid Al-Fitr holidays.

Consumer thirst is being quenched by products and services on offer in every mall and souq, all trying to out-do one another to get a slice of the Eid pie.

Many of North Jeddah’s malls only get large numbers of customers during the holy month, and so predictably inflate their prices. These then suddenly drop during the last 10 days by as much as 50 percent in what amounts to an unofficial sale season.

According to a time-honored Islamic tradition, on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr Muslims should wear a new item of clothing to mark the arrival of the holiday.

“I’ve been observing this tradition all my life,” banker Saeed Al- Harbi told Arab News.

“I can’t celebrate Eid without dressing my best. It’s a tradition I’m passing on to my two kids, which they look forward to every year.”

“As much as 70 percent of our business is generated during Ramadan and Eid,” says Mohsen Ali Hassan, manager of the famous Ballan thobe store off Wali Al-Ahad St.

“The younger generation is asking for new designs made of denim, and traditional cotton thobes but with two-pockets, while our older customers still tend to opt for more traditional cuts. We’ll be working all the way through to the end of Ramadan,” Hassan said.

In the historic Al-Balad district of Jeddah, where competition between street vendors and shops is especially fierce in the winding alleys of the Al-Alawi souq, the four billion-riyal perfume industry is benefiting from a surge in business.

The residents of North Jeddah rarely venture into the historic heart of the city outside of Ramadan, but when the holy month arrives they descend on Al-Balad in their tens of thousands.

All the area’s many souqs and malls are packed with customers until as late as 4.30 a.m.

According to interviews conducted by Arab News, consumers in Al-Balad are ignoring Calvin Klein, Gucci and other designer brands and choosing instead more traditional scents known locally as “oud”.

Khalid Ba-Mahsoob, 43, told Arab News that he comes to Al-Balad to shop in preparation for the Eid holidays because the prices for most goods are cheaper than in North Jeddah, and there is a much greater variety.

“I come here to get different kinds of ‘oud’ and incense for my home. My father is staying with me, so I’m expecting many visitors this Eid,” he explained.

Visiting relatives during Eid is a must, and the food industry experiences dramatic growth as a result. Extending hospitality usually entails the presentation of a colorful array of traditional Arabic sweets, dates and chocolates.

Bateel confectionary on Tahlia St. is doing especially well, and within the next 48 hours it will send out over 3,000 specially ordered gift packages.

Albert Viterbo, Bateel’s gift wrapper, said that European sweets are presently more in demand, “because people have been stuffing themselves every day for the past month with traditional Arabic sweets”.

Eid is also a peak travel period, but trends in the travel industry this year are proving difficult to ascertain.

Arab News recently reported a drop in bookings, but according to a representative from Bin Mardoom speaking to Arab News yesterday “business is up by 50 percent” with South-East Asia as the most popular destination.

Malaysia is top of the holiday list. Flights to the Muslim country are overbooked, and according to Bin Mardoom the Malaysian ringgit is almost impossible to obtain.

Sharm Al-Sheikh, Beirut and Dubai are also set to see an influx of Saudis.

“There has been a drop in demand for seats to the United States,” Bin Mardoom add.

However, not everyone is in the Eid spirit.

“Ramadan has been too commercialized,” 65-year-old Ahmed told Arab News. “People are spending money on things they don’t need. It’s a total waste.”

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