As the Muslim fasting draws to a close tomorrow or Sunday, signalling the end of Ramadan and heralding the beginning of Eid-El–Fitri celebrations, traders in major markets and operators of shopping centres across the Lagos metropolis are upbeat over prospects of increased patronage, reports TONIA ‘DIYAN.
For the supervisor of a footwear store in one of the upscale shopping malls in Lagos, who identified himself simply as Peter, better days are here.
Having experienced reduced sales because of a lull in customer patronage occasioned by the Ramadan fast, Peter is hopeful of a turnaround in the fortunes of his business following the increased tempo of activities in preparation for Eid-El –Fitri celebrations, which comes at the end of the Muslim fast.
“People generally come to shop on days when they are more relaxed and this period, Eid-El –Fitri is the best time to stock our shops with varieties, so that people would come and patronise us. We are ready to host our customers,” Peter, whose shop specialises in casuals and fashionable foot wears, said.
Apart from dangling cheaper prices for his wears to attract prospective customers, Peter says the car park of the mall where his shop is located, has also been expanded to accommodate more vehicles. Similarly, Femi, a manager at a restaurant located in Palmgrove area of Lagos, says he cannot wait for the Eid-El –Fitri celebrations to give his business a boost, especially after the low sales that hit him while the Muslim fast lasted. According to him, food sales have been cut below half since the Ramadan fasting began; he couldn’t cook the quantity of the food he used to since he does not want any waste.
“In the past three weeks, we have been counting our losses daily,” he lamented, saying that most of his customers eat once a day and they do that at home.
However, like Peter, Femi is optimistic that the end of the Muslim fast, which heralds the Eid-El –Fitri, would breathe fresh air to his business, which is why he has since stocked his restaurant with assorted food stuff to cater for the needs of his customers who would be needing the restaurant to chill out. He is counting on the usual human traffic that builds up in and around his shop during such celebrations to increase sales and make more profit.
Traders in major markets across the metropolis are also hopeful. For instance, Nkechi who sells soup ingredients at Mile 12 Market told The Nation Shopping that she wants to make up for the low sales she recorded during the Ramadan fast. “I have waited long enough for this period when the Muslims will be celebrating. I have realised that I make more sales when they are celebrating one event or the other. I sell a fast moving item, but since they began their fast a month ago, I haven’t been making sales. This is my breakthrough period, I want to utilise it well and make money,” she declared.
Nkechi expressed optimism that as the Muslim fast comes to an end, with Muslim fateful gearing up to celebrate few days from today, the Eid-El –Fitri celebration would push up sales for her and her colleagues who sell staple food items because such items are most needed for the season. Olufunke, who operates a local canteen, popularly called ‘MamaPut’, also said she hopes to smile again in a few days after a lull induced by the Ramadan fast. “Most of my customers are Hausa people and since the fasting began, they only eat once and that is in the evening. They always break with their family so my business has been greatly affected,” she said, adding that she has made adequate arrangements to take advantage of the Eid-El –Fitri celebration to increase sales.
Indeed, across the metropolis, the usual upsurge in human traffic in major markets and shopping places when the yearly Muslim fast ends, can hardly go unnoticed. Such increased tempo of activities resurface to prepare Muslims for their yearly Eid-El –Fitri celebration,which comes upin three days time. Major markets are becoming busier and traders at these markets say patronage are increasing by the day as the end of fasting draws near. The Nation Shopping also observed that sales are picking up with more crowds and more items on display.
At these markets, traders are pleased with what they call “the Eid-El –Fitri rush” as they get helping hands from their children and relatives so as to cope with the rush. A trader, Mutiat said her daughter helps with packing the items she sells while she bargains and collects money from customers. In some of the malls and markets visited, Muslim kids dressed in their smart mufti wears were seen catching fun and moving around and pointing at what they need; their parents were granting some offers and turning down others.
The mall being a multipurpose place, accommodates people for different motives. While some go there to shop for their personal items, others usually go there to purchase gift items , they hope to offer to their loved ones. Others visit such malls to unwind. And there are various sections to chose from: the food section, the clothing section, the shoes section, and the bicycle section, among others.
During Eid-El –Fitri, Muslims are expected to distribute gift items to the needy in line with the Islamic injunction on Zakat ul-fitri, that is gift to the less privileged. This is why major shopping malls and markets are stocking up food and related items in preparation for the celebration. Findings also show that some traders hoard non-perishable food items for the last week of Ramadan so as to sell at high prices and maximize profit.
According to a market leader in Badagry, Fatai Akojenu, farmers in the North ensure that these non-perishable items are made available in all major markets, bearing in mind that many of them are Muslims and may have low supplies now because of their involvement in the Ramadan fast. An Islamic cleric, Mallam Abubakar Saliu said it is so because Muslims cook a lot after the Ramadan so that they could distribute food to the less privileged, friends and neighbours in line with Muslim injunction.
Saliu said: “This is the time to sell in large quantity as we haven’t sold well in the last three weeks.” He added that at this time, Muslims buy more than they did to prepare for the fast when it was going to start because most of them loose appetite for food after fasting the whole day. He said he hopes to make huge sales from the non-perishable food items he has been keeping all through the fasting period.
Rukayat Eruobodo, a Muslim, who couldn’t stock perishable items before the fast began, said she decided to wait for this last week to buy food items for Eid- El- fitri celebration despite the hike in the prices of these items.
