After a prolonged lull, retail outlets and fashion houses in Bangladesh are witnessing higher sales as people gear up to celebrate Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bengali Hindu community even as it gave retailers a shot in the arm after sales remained depressed for most of the last 18 months thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted business and regular life in Bangladesh as it did in other parts of the world.
Speaking to the media, Soumik Das, Manager of fashion house Rang Bangladesh, underlined the domestic fashion industry had been in a bad state for the last two years on account of the pandemic even as co-founder of Kay Kraft, a retailer of fashion wear, Khalid Mahmood Khan, on his part added: “People are buying clothes and other accessories. This has had a positive impact on the business…,” while claiming sales have been low last year due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, owner of fashion store Tangail Saree Kutir in Dhaka, Monira Emdad stated sales of saris were much higher this year compared to previous years, while adding, “Usually, many people go to India to do shopping ahead of the festival, but this has not been possible due to the pandemic,” even as retailers, who had a tough time since the country was hit by the rogue virus maintained, coronavirus infections have dropped recently thereby allowing the economy to operate in full swing and allowing businesses to make a fresh plan around Durga Puja.
