Its festivity all over at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex as the sixth edition of the Coimbatore Shopping Festival took off here on Saturday.
Shoppers can spend the entire day at the fair that has over 500 stalls spread over an area of 1.5 lakh sq.ft.
The products on display include eco-friendly items, automobiles, textiles, crockery, paintings, garden kits, organic food, gift articles, jewellery, furnishings, consumer durables, cleaning products, and fitness equipment.
Members of women self-help groups have put up stalls selling food items, native medicine, garments, and bags.
Some of the special attractions this year are high-end automobiles, oil extraction gadgets, photography printing technology, and consumer durables. The food court has 22 stalls. There is ATM facility and a play area for children. The organisers expect about 1.2 lakh visitors and the entry fee is ₹50 per person. The festival is expected to generate business to the tune of ₹70 crore to ₹100 crore, depending on the number of visitors.
K.V. Ganapathi, chairman of the Festival, said the aim was to make the Coimbatore Shopping Festival an event like the Dubai Shopping Festival.
Almost all the sellers offer discounts. Since this is vacation time, the number of visitors is expected to be high. The fair is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. till January 1. . Music shows, debates, and dance programmes will be organised from 6.30 p.m. on all days. Coimbatore Commissioner of Police Sumit Sharan inaugurated the fair on Saturday.