Retailers in Dhaka are facing unusually weak sales ahead of this year’s Eid-ul-Adha, with footfall in key markets including New Market and Bashundhara Shopping Mall remaining far below expectations.
Three days before the festival, shoppers were sparse even in major stores, prompting discounts of up to 70 per cent on select items and leaving merchants concerned about uncertain Eid bonuses.
The decline spans men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, with most purchases limited to moderate-priced items. Shoppers visiting sari shops are largely buying for post-Eid weddings or as gifts, while children’s apparel sales lag behind previous years. Marketing staff and proprietors report that long-standing festive buying habits have been disrupted, leaving stores near-empty during peak hours.
At Dhanmondi Harkers Market, ‘Jugantari Sari Museum’ seller Mohammad Josim said, “Sales were good a few days ago, but now footfall has nearly vanished.” Sari vendors noted that most buyers were purchasing only a few cotton saris as gifts for relatives, rather than shopping in larger quantities. “Many are buying just a few pieces for family members after Eid,” said ‘Nakshi Jamdani’ seller Mohammad Hasan Mia.
In New Market, the children’s clothing store ‘Anushka Fashion’ reported subdued sales, with T-shirts priced Tk200–500 and pants Tk600–700 making up the majority of transactions, reflecting weaker consumer spending compared with previous Eid periods.
Menswear outlets showed mixed results. At Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, ‘Jordana Club’ seller Mohammad Zakir Hossain said, “This year’s sales did not even reach 50 per cent of last year’s figures.” Extending store hours from 7pm to 10pm did not increase footfall but raised operational costs. By contrast, ‘Gentle Bridge’ noted steady demand for premium cotton Panjabi and Kabli items, though overall market sales remain weak.
A sari seller at ‘Nilachal’ described the situation as unprecedented. He told TIMES of Bangladesh that “I have never seen sales this poor. The market is empty. Some shops have cut staff numbers from 20 to 8 in response to the downturn.”
Dhaka University’s economics professor Shahadat Siddique said the lack of shoppers reflects the country’s overall economic condition. “Prolonged high inflation and economic slowdown have reduced real incomes, especially among middle and lower-income households,” he told TIMES.
He added that rising daily commodity prices have outpaced wage growth, constraining consumer purchasing power and leading shoppers to avoid non-essential spending, which has directly affected Eid market activity.
