Shopping Malls Affecting Business Of Wholesale Retailers

Muhammad Irfan Published September 29, 2019 | 01:40 PM

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Sep, 2019 ) :With the recent surge in number of shopping malls in twin cities, the business of street vendors and small wholesale retailers was hitting a low in terms of grabbing customers especially as public was preferring these malls for grocery shopping.

Buying fruits, vegetables even groceries from street vendors has been a tradition in Pakistan over the years, however, it was now fading away as different shopping malls such as Al Fatah in Centaurus Mall, Save Mart and Madina Cash&Carry were offering all these items under one roof making it easier for customers to shop quickly.

Muhammad Aslam, one of oldest retailer shopkeepers in Abpara market, said that now public was preferring to go to these 'Cash&Carries' of shopping malls to buy their groceries and other homes accessories instead of coming to us.

"It was not only affecting our local business but was costing the small retailers who usually earn their daily wages through their shops," he added.

He said he had three shops but with a reduced amount of income he had to convert one of his shops into a photocopier outlet. "In these economic conditions, it was getting difficult to pay bills and salaries to my workers with the amount of work we were getting. So I abandoned my retailer store to recover from the deficit", he added.

However, Ayesha Khan a house wife, said the stores in these shopping malls have made her life easier as a mother of two who could not roam around the Bazaar for grocery shopping.

"Good thing about these shops is that they have the entire necessary items under one roof. Weather its fruits, meat, vegetables, cosmetics or crockery; I can buy anything from same place without having spent my time from going shop to shop. "Few of them also deliver the products at my door step which is a bonus for me as house wife", she added.

She said this practice saved a lot of time and energy as she would not go through the hassle of buying from markets.

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