GITEX SHOPPER STAYS A CROWD-PULLER
Customers scramble for last-minute deals as the curtain comes down on Gitex Shopper 2017 in Dubai on Saturday. Strong demand for smartphones, smart watches and TVs helped boost sales, which is expected to surpass last year’s Dh245 million mark. —
dubai — Strong demand for smartphones, smart watches, gaming notebooks and TVs helped boost sales at Gitex, which ended on a positive note on Saturday.
According to the leading UAE retailers, sales picked up in the last couple of days, thanks to increased footfall over the weekend and residents getting their salaries, helping them to upgrade their devices.
Braving the slower summer and holiday season in the UAE, retail sales, on average, are expected to grow by approximately 1-2 per cent, reaching Dh245 million, as compared to last year’s edition when consumers bought electronic items worth Dh240 million. Last year, 200,000 visitors attended the exhibition. Though this year’s figures are not yet available, but the numbers are expected to remain steady.
“We’ve received positive responses from both retailers and visitors this year. This year’s event opened with large numbers of visitors pouring in for the weekend and footfall has been steady throughout the week. This closing weekend was expected to attract huge crowds — after all, it’s the end of the month and consumers have a bit of extra cash to spend on upgrading their technology now that salaries have come through,” said Avinash Shanbhogue, portfolio director for exhibitions at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Mahesh Chotrani, senior vice-president, Jacky’s, said they registered 4-5 per cent growth in terms of sales during Gitex, driven by sales of gaming notebooks and TVs.
We have seen great response to the Note 8, S8 & S8+ and the two new iPhones Nilesh Khalkho, CEO, Sharaf DG