Clear sky makes up for Dana slump: From phones to cars, Calcuttans take home 'dhan'
Telegraph | 28 October 2024
On the last Sunday before Dhanteras (Tuesday) and Diwali (Thursday), all that glittered in Calcutta was not gold. From phones and TVs to cars and traditional sweets, Calcuttans took home various types of “dhan”.
The torrential rain triggered by Cyclone Dana crippled festive shopping in the last couple of days. A clear sky on Sunday prompted people to come out in numbers and go to stores and showrooms to buy something.
The Telegraph gauged the market mood.
Sparkle
Jewellery showrooms were among the most crowded places.
The crowd started picking up as the day progressed, and around 5pm, space became scarce in the stores.
Traffic was stretched around Moulali, Gariahat and Ballygunge Phari as cars sought vantage parking near the stores.
Shubadip Roy, designated partner, Bengal Jewellery, said the best-selling ticket size was between “Rs 75,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh”.
“Lightweight jewellery, in gold and diamond, for women was trending. Men are opting for bracelets and buttons, also in gold and diamond,” he said.
Buying silver and gold on Dhanteras is an age-old tradition. Jewellers said even diamonds and platinum are selling more in the run-up to Dhanteras.
The wedding season is about to start and several families bought the first wedding ornaments on the occasion of Dhanteras.
“We saw robust sales on Sunday. The wedding segment comprised a significant share of the total volume. In the non-wedding space, lifestyle jewellery was in demand. More and more people are buying stuff they can wear to work or a party,” said Suvankar Sen, the managing director and CEO of Senco Gold and Diamonds.
Ruby resident Deeksha Jain, who came to buy earrings for herself, waited for an hour at a Moulali showroom in the afternoon. “The sales staff were quite stretched,” she said.
Home sweet home
Stores selling consumer durables had witnessed a lean phase in the run-up to Dhanteras. On Sunday, the scene was different.
Refrigerators, TVs, mobile phones, and mixer-grinders were the fast-selling items at consumer durables stores, which were decked out for the festivities.
“The market picked up on Saturday. Sunday was even better. TVs, fridges and phones are in demand,” said Manoj Khosla, co-founder of Khosla Electronics.
Around 4pm, the sales personnel at a store in Dalhousie were too busy to talk to anyone other than prospective buyers. The majority of the staff was busy showing products to visitors.
At a showroom on Diamond Harbour Road near Behala police station, a series of items were stacked on the pavement outside, waiting to be loaded on a pick-up van for deliveries.
Abhradip Majumder, 31, came to buy a 42-inch TV at the Sarat Bose Road store of another retail chain.
“I paid the money today. But I want it delivered on Tuesday,” he said.
Pulkit Baid, the director of Great Eastern Retail, which owns a chain of stores, said: “The demand was muted in the mass market (category under Rs 50,000), which includes items such as single-door refrigerator and a 32-inch TV set. The premium segment was doing well. With Dhanetras and Diwali knocking at the doors, the mass market is doing well, too.”
Sweets
Kaju barfis flew off the shelves. As did cans of gulab jamuns. Rasmalai was not to be left behind.
Many did one better and opted for an assorted tray with sweets and salty savouries.
Sweet shops across the city did brisk business on Saturday and Sunday.
“We have already sold more than 50kg of kaju barfi today. More orders are coming,” said a representative of Gupta Brothers in New Alipore. Each 1kg pack contains more than 50 pieces.
There was a constant stream of people at the Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick store in Bhowanipore.
A person was loading decorated trays of sweets into a car.
“We have sold more than 2,000 assorted trays on Saturday and Sunday. Each tray contains a variety of items,” said Sudip Mullick, a co-owner of the chain.
Vroom
Auto sales in August and September were muted, dealers said.
“There are still some spillover Durga Puja sales happening now with some customers taking their deliveries since they were away during the Puja. Dhanteras sales will happen on Tuesday. Deliveries are lined up, it’s more or less the same as last year,” said Deepak Gupta of Topsel Toyota.
Bucking the mass market trend, luxury vehicle sales are on the upswing. Several Mercedes customers have asked for deliveries on Dhanteras, and the BMW dealership is busy, too.
The Bhandari Motors outlet at Ballygunge Phari wore a festive look.
“The demand is more or less the same as last year,” said a salesman at the outlet. He is preparing for around 300 deliveries on Tuesday from his outlet.