A brief look-back…

The year-end  shopping season has closed, and by now – at the start of the new year –  most businesses are either tallying their profits  or counting their losses for what would have been  for them, the  busiest  time of the year.
Several business  proprietors around the city acessed their performance  and  were ready to pronounce on overall trends and their observations for the past year.
According to the Marketing and Advertising  Assistant at Ashmin’s Complex, Mr. Sudesh Krishnaram there was a marked improvement in customer response last year which he  attributed to the infrastructural expansion of the business.
“We did reasonably well for the season since we have altered the business from a whole- sale outlet to include retail as well and this  has attracted a larger crowd,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer  (CEO) at Giftland Office Max, Mr. Ian Ramdeo said that  the past year has been somewhat difficult since prices for commodities have  steadily increased and many stores were also  compelled to do the same.
He  said, “It has been challenging since  there has been an increase in prices worldwide  which has affected us here and because our ecomomy is  growing, we need to adapt to  the changes.”
Continuing , he highlighted that the majority of customers frequenting the  store  did so late in the season  resulting in a ‘last minute rush’.
“Many persons shopped late so that the traffic in the store was heavy towards  the end  and apart from our usual customers we did notice a large number of  foreigners  as well,” he said.
Alluding to the overall performance  of the business in light  of the economic  situation and price  increases Ramdeo indicated  that there was quiet a bit of planning involved in ensuring  that his operation was a  success this year.
“Some prices are  high  but for us, with a lot of planning and smart  buying,  it has not been too difficult  and we have matched the  sales for last year,” the CEO revealed.
In her bid to analyze  the performance  of her business, Proprietor  of Clairans Boutique, Mrs. Claire Peres explained that things have not been going as well compared to previous years, a trend she  attributes to customers cutting back on their spending .
“Things have been pretty slow especially during this time when we expect customers to frequent the store as they usually would,” she said, adding, “They do not seem to be spending as before.”

She noted that while most  of her regular customers have remained loyal over the years, there  has been a definite decline in new clients.

“I believe that quite a lot of people are trying to save but they must remember that if they buy quality goods at high prices they will definitely save a lot of money in the end,” Peres posited.

For many of the shop owners along the Vendor’s Arcade, the general response when they spoke to the Chronicle during the just concluded holiday season, was that business was definitely not as lucrative in 2010 when compared to the previous year since many pesons “window shopped” as opposed to actually making a purchase.