NOIDA: There is a festive spirit in the sector 18 market as most women have started shopping for clothes, jewellery, mobile phones, dry fruits, sweets and gift items.
While many among them visited salons and mehndi (henna) stalls for the Karva Chauth festival over the weekend, others were found shopping for gift items and jewellery ahead of Diwali, which falls in less than a fortnight. Traders maintain that sales are catching up and might reach pre-Covid times this season.
SK Jain, president of Sector 18 market association, said, “There’s huge enthusiasm among women about Karva Chauth at markets and shops. One can see crowded beauty parlours and women thronging mehndi stalls till late night with advance bookings. This kind of festival excitement has been going on since the past few days. This is a welcome sign, and we hope to get pre-Covid profits.”
Jain maintained that sales in the market increased for the first time during the Covid pandemic this year.
He added that there has been a 25% increase in sales from last year’s festive season. “Last year, the festival sale at Karva Chauth was around Rs 200 crore and Diwali sale was around Rs 800-1000 crore. This year, we expect a 25-30% increase as the sale during Karva Chauth this year has reached Rs 250 crore. There’s a huge excitement among shoppers,” said Jain.
He said that there’s a rising demand for gold jewellery. “Many marriages were stalled last year due to the lockdown. For those who got married after the lockdown opened, it was their first Karva Chauth. And they are leaving no stones unturned in celebrating it with great fervour. Various types of jewellery, ranging from gold to silver with items such as anklets, mangalsutras etc have been on demand. Traders are also offering huge discounts on make-up products and gift hampers to woo the customers,” Jain said.
Women who came to the market to shop are also catching up on lost festivities. “Last year Karva Chauth had to be celebrated at home without any lustre due to the pandemic. We did no shopping. But this time, we are shopping for family and friends as Diwali is also round the corner,” said Swati Singh, a local resident.
