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| Sunday, 10 April 2005 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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New Year sales boom, say Pettah traders by Don Asoka Wijewardena With the New Year round the corner the Colombo city has become a hustle and bustle of activity. Colombo, the country's largest trade centre is teeming with large numbers of people,especially New Year shoppers has commenced brisk sales of textiles, essential food items, gift items and groceries. The Sunday Observer interviewed a cross section of traders and customers to obtain their comments on sales and spiralling prices of goods. Textile merchant Ananda Kumar who runs a stall at the World Market and sells gents wear said that that during the last New Year he had been able to earn at least Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 5,000 daily as his sales had gone up and added that these days he had been able to earn only around Rs. 1,000 a day. Another textile merchant Sumada Ranga at the World Market said that it was a common sight that only ordinary people such as labourers, youngsters and even government servants had been visiting the world market to purchase their requirements whereas rich people would always visit hypermarkets to buy their requirements. Ranga said that his entire sales had been rather low due to tsunami and added that he had been earning about Rs. 1,000 for a day. He also said that the goods at his shop did not belong to him and he had been getting them from a big business magnate on commission basis. "I hope to bring more goods next week and I am confident of increasing sales," Ranga said. Cyril Fonseka, a customer said that he was a government servant who had been buying his family textile requirements at the World Market. "I have three children and my wife is not employed. We can only purchase our requirements when we draw our salaries or festival advance. As far as I am concerned people like us cannot afford to purchase things at luxury supermarkets." M. S. Sahajhan has two ladies and gents wear stalls at the World Market. He said that sales had been increasing slowly but steadily since last week and added that he had been able to earn around Rs. 25,000 a day during the last New Year season. He also said that people had run short of cash due to spiralling cost-of-living and noted that the privileged class never visited the stalls at the World Market as they would patronise super luxury shops as status symbols. Another textile merchant Sunil Gamage said that he used to bring textiles on credit although he had 15 per cent share in his shop and noted that he had been facing problems because of credit. When asked about prices of textiles,he said that he had been selling gents' trousers, from Rs. 400 to Rs. 650 and T-shirts from Rs. 250 to Rs. 500. He also said that he was optimistic of more sales in the coming week as most government employees would draw their salaries before the New Year. D. G. S. Kalubowila, a banana trader at the Pettah Manning Market said that he had been getting two lorry loads of bananas from Jaffna and Ambilipitiya daily with a commission of 10 per cent. "We also get bananas from Balangoda and Ruwanwella and earn about Rs. 25,000 a day. Usually during the New Year season we earn about Rs. 50,000 a day because bananas were an essential fruit in the New Year celebrations," Kalubowila said. W. A. Wijeratne, a fruit seller said: "How can people buy fruits? Everything is horrendously expensive and ordinary people shudder to purchase things. We know that people are interested in fruits used as dessert but these days the prices of our traditional fruits such as papaw, wood apple and avocado have gone up," he said. K. Dissanayaka, a customer from Kotte said that most traders were capitalising on the situation as they had been selling goods at exorbitant prices." This is naked exploitation and what does the government do? There is no price control. Although the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has been set up no action has been taken to nab unscrupulous traders,especially hoarders. B. G. Thilakaratne, a vegetable seller said that he had been getting large stocks of fresh vegetables from Welimada, Beliatta and Ambagamuwa during the last New Year season and earned around Rs 7,000 a day and added that this New Year season he had been getting lesser stocks as most stocks had been going to Dambulla. "Price fluctuations are inevitable and we can't help," Thilakaratne said. Swarna Ranasingha from Kelaniya said: "Some do not have enough money to celebrate the New Year. The prices of rice, flour and coconut have gone up but everybody will have to buy rice even to prepare milk rice on New Year's day". M. Kusumawathi at Pettah, a jacket and cloth seller, said that her business had been booming as a large number of women from rural areas preferred to purchase materials for jacket and cloth to celebrate the Sinhala New Year. Some reputed trade centres in Colombo have started Avurudu sales selling a variety of goods such as shoes, textiles, kitchen and electrical appliances. |
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