The Doha Trade Fair is attracting more visitors and as of yesterday it witnessed over 120,000 footfalls and still counting, according to organisers.
Despite the presence of traffic enforcers, the street leading to the Doha Exhibition Centre bottlenecks the influx of huge number of vehicles carrying shoppers.
Every day, motorists are faced with lack of parking space even though organisers have allocated a big space beside the exhibition centre.
Most of the products available at the fair are fashion and accessories with 274 stalls, followed by household products with 173 stalls, perfumes and cosmetics 62 and food 45.
Saleem Trading from Pakistan sells Denim pants with a uniform price of QR45, while Dubai-based perfume shop Yasmeen Al Sham sells perfume spray for QR25 per bottle. “We offer perfumes at a very affordable price that’s why they are in demand,” said the shopkeeper of Yasmeen Al Sham.
With prices ranging from QR5 to QR50 for their products, A&7 General Merchandise is also a crowd-puller at the fair. Their colourful hair accessories are sold at QR10 per three pieces and their shabasa (flower hair clip) are very much in demand from Qatari ladies.
“We have to make it tempting for the customers to buy our products so our prices are low,” said Rosa De Leon, Creative Director of the Dubai-based company, adding they have been coming to the fair since 2010 because business has been good. “Shabasa is a very popular hair accessory for women, especially Arabs, and all of these are handmade,” she said.
Not all shops, however, enjoy the brisk sales such as Ritu’s Creation from India which sells designer sarees and other traditional Indian women’s wear.
“The fair has a good crowd. Some appreciate our designs while there are many who look for Arabic concept,” said Dhiraj of Ritu’s Creation, adding their designs which were all hand-embroidered could not be found in the local market.
“It’s still early to tell, but if business picks up in the next few days, maybe I’ll come back next year with Arabic-inspired designs to cater to more customers here,” said the Lucknow-based shop owner.
Buyers have mixed reactions on the fair but most welcomed it as the only fair which is held biannually offering a wide array of products. “It is nice to shop here because we can find many products under one roof,” said Maia, a Lebanese national.
“Most of the products are for women and children, and very few are offering men’s apparel,” said Adil Mahmoud, who was shopping with his wife.
“As with other trade fairs, some of the shops offer expensive items, while there are also those who sell cheap products. It’s just up to the buyer to choose, but definitely there is a wide range of products here,” said Mark Rosales, a Filipino expatriate.
Source :thepeninsulaqatar.com
