24-HOUR SHOP SPREE PAYS OFF
Retailers cheer roaring business as promises of overnight shopping and big discounts draw tens of thousands of people. That has led to overcrowded stores and claims of oversold price cuts, Mina Al Droubi and Andy Scott report
Retailers at Yas Mall tells of roaring trade as experiment for Eid draws shoppers in their tens of thousands,
ABU DHABI // Shoppers slept on the floor before opening time at the weekend and staff were unable to cope with the influx of bargain hunters.
That was the scene at Yas Mall as its decision to open the doors to shoppers for 24 hours led to its busiest weekend. “There was no space to move or to sit. The number of visitors roaming around was incredible,” said Ahmad Al Lamy, a Dubai resident. “There were a lot of people sitting on the floors and even sleeping at one point.”
Chzarina Uy, a hotel worker who lives in Dubai, also visited Abu Dhabi for the “mega sale”.
“We couldn’t walk around or sit anywhere,” she said. “I heard about the ‘buy one, get one free’ offer at Michael Kors. But due to overcrowding, we weren’t able to enter the store and the management eventually shut the doors. I didn’t get the chance to see any of the discounts.”
Overcrowded stores were not the only complaint. Promises of overnight shopping and huge discounts drew tens of thousands of people, although some said the discounts were oversold.
“Where are the sales? I couldn’t find anything,” said Tala, an undergraduate student at Zayed University.
Abu Dhabi resident Deena said there was “nothing to find in the sales and there were clothes all over the floor”.
Fadia Abdel Karim, from Leba- non, spent 90 minutes trying to park her car at 10.30am on Sunday and was underwhelmed by the discounts on offer.
“The only things discounted by 90 per cent was stock that was at least two years old,” she said. “While many shops claimed to have sales, there seemed to be very little stock discounted.”
Retailers across the UAE have struggled with weakening consumer confidence this year. Uncertainties about employment and the rise of online commerce players has led to dwindling returns for many.
Nevertheless, retailers say the past few days were a big boost for business.
Although the total number of visitors over Eid has yet to be calculated, Firoz Ali Khan, operations manager of Fun Works, said visitor numbers were huge.
“We had about 12,000 to 15,000 on Sunday and we are expecting those numbers to double today,” he said. “On a normal weekend we usually have 4,000 to 6,000 visitors.
“We have never had this many visitors in the history of Fun Works. This is a new experience for us and it is due to the 24-hour event and promotions.”
Mery Ann, manager of clothing store Promod, said business on Sunday was very busy. “We weren’t expecting it to happen. This was the first time in the history of Promod that we had about 8,500 visitors and made 2,000 sales in one day,” she said.
Andy Lee, business director of toy retailer Hamleys, said he was amazed at the success of the sale. “We did 20 per cent more business than I was expecting,” he said. “They [shoppers] started forming at 8.30am on Sunday with the sale due to start at 10am.
“I have never seen the mall so busy. We had a really good day. I was surprised because the UAE’s retailers have had a very challenging year and many of the discounts have already been offered throughout the year. “I was concerned shoppers would have ‘discount fatigue’ but it seems not.”
‘ There was no space to move or to sit. The number of visitors roaming around was incredible Ahmad Al Lamy, A resident of Dubai