With no relaxation in sight for re-opening of air-conditioned textile showrooms before Ramzan, textile traders here are faced with the prospect of losing an important business season.
According to sources, Ramzan sale accounts for about 25% of total business in a year. Many textile traders say that it is second best business season next to Deepavali. Traders, who were yet to open their showrooms since the imposition of lockdown on March 25, expected that the State government would permit them to resume their business with limited staff since May 18 so as to make use of the Ramzan demand. But there was no word on allowing resumption of trade by air-conditioned textile show rooms in cities. The absence of relief for textile showrooms in non-containment zones has disappointed the traders.
Expecting brisk business in the Ramzan month, major retail textile showrooms in Tiruchi had stocked up their clothings and ready-made garments. They had devised business strategies to make use of the shopping season between April and May. Showrooms in Tiruchi receive customers not only from nearby districts but also from Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and most of the Gulf countries in April and May.
Only a handful of small time shops and roadside shops on Big Bazaar Street, Singarathope and Super Bazaar have opened shop while medium and large scale showrooms on NSB Road, Chinnakadai Street, Big Bazaar, West Boulevard Road and others remained closed.
With just about five days to go for Ramzan, traders are keeping their fingers crossed.“It is really a tough time. The stark reality is that we have lost an important business season. We have remained closed for the past two months but we have to pay our overheads. In spite of severe strain on the finance, we have paid salary to all our employees,” said M. Roshan, Managing Director, Sarathas, Tiruchi.
At least 10 showrooms in Tiruchi employ 500 to 1,500 persons. For showrooms that employed more than 1000 persons, the salary component alone runs into crores of rupees. It is said that except a few, many of them have paid salary for March and April. They are under pressure to foot the salary bill for May too without any work for their employees.
Traders are of the view that the State government could have given at least conditional permission to resume business from May 18. It could have facilitated them to identify sources to meet the May salary bill, they say.
“Being a large scale showroom, we face a number of problems. Pressure is mounting as we need to take care of unavoidable and standard expenditure. More importantly, we have to work hard to regain the business momentum,” said R. Muthukumaran, General Manager, Pothys, Tiruchi.
Mr. Roshan feels that social distancing norms are here to stay for some time and traders are aware of it. Taking into account various aspects of safeguarding the industry, the government could devise a social distancing mechanism and safety protocol for textile showrooms. The traders were willing to cooperate with the government, he said.