Quick reboot at country’s biggest computer market

If work-from-home is the new normal, computers are the new essentials. In Nehru Place – the biggest market for IT products in the country – the crowd is back for laptops, desktops and headphones, because home is now both school and office.
There is a pent-up demand for computers, say shopkeepers. After a slow first week in June, when most visits were for repairs, business picked up quickly. By the end of June, the footfalls had touched 50-60% of the March level, the market association says. And this was without the Delhi Metro.

Before the lockdown, 3-3.5 lakh customers came to the market every day through the Nehru Place and Nehru Enclave metro stations, said Mahinder Aggarwal, president of the market association. Once metro services resume, shopkeepers expect thousands more to troop in.
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Amid the market’s concrete blocks, the only obvious change since March is the masks on every face. Stalls that sold screen guards, phone covers and even clothes are all there. Aggarwal said their June turnover was thrice as much as in March, and they also paid thrice the GST.

“Covid has confined people to their homes, making laptops and desktops a must-have,” said Aggarwal. “Students taking online classes need a system to work on. Adults are also working from home, so the demand for laptops and desktops is very high. And if a device breaks down, they rush here for repairs.”
Sanjay Nigam, who sells phone covers, said people initially came only for urgent needs, but now he also gets 20-25 customers daily. “It is a sign of normality. If the metro reopens, business will grow further.” He is worried about his leftover Chinese stock, though. “We are not getting any new Chinese products, but the old stock needs to be sold. We can’t let it go to waste, but we will need alternatives too.” Many other shopkeepers TOI spoke to also said they expect the rush to grow.
Arshdeep Kaur, who had come to get her phone repaired, said she can’t do without it while working from home. “My phone’s battery stopped working last night and the first thing I did today was rush here to get it changed.” Wasn’t she worried about the crowd? “You can go out with the right precautions,” she said.
Varun Madaan needs more visitors like her. He is one of the many roving ‘agents’ who earn a living by talking people into visiting the shops that pay them a cut. He says the first few days after reopening were as bad as the lockdown for him, but now he earns enough to eat three meals a day and save some money too.
(This story is part of a series in association with Facebook. Facebook has no editorial role in this story.)
In Video:Business picks up at Delhi computer market as home is now both school and office