Dubai: Local retailers are hoping to cash in on the growing crowd from the adjacent hall due to the Cityscape which kicked off on Tuesday.
“We are expecting a huge crowd from Cityscape to Shopper because many visitors are coming from across the Gulf countries and it a good news for the retailers,” Asad Sayed, business manager at Banian FZCO, said.
He said so far the sales have been good and we hope to exceed our expectations compared to last year.
Key electronics chains are reporting bumper growth in sales compared to last year due to the new location instead of the Airport Expo.
According to Mohammad Malik, a visitor from Qatar who came for the Cityscape, said: “I am a property broker and at the same time tech savvy also. At one go I can attend both the events.”
“I plan to buy a 55-inch TV, either Samsung or Sony, and some budget tablets for his friends and kids. The promotions and bundled offers are very attractive and it will lure customers to buy the products even if they don’t need it,” Malik said.
Laptops, smartphones and tablets were primarily driving the growth, according to the retailers.
“Sales have been so far and the show itself is better compared to last year,” Ashish Panjabi, CEO of Jacky’s Electronics, said.
“With Cityscape happening at the adjacent hall, we expect to lure more customers to the Shopper and vice versa. The location and venue this year is a lot more accessible with more transport options,” said Panjabi.
The promotions and bundled offers are paying off, with electronics chains reporting a boost in revenues compared with last year’s event.
Jumbo has already witnessed more than 35 per cent rise in sales in the first two days of the event.
Vishesh Bhatia, CEO of Jumbo Electronics, said: “It is clear that the move to the World Trade Centre and its easy Metro access has helped increase overall visitor numbers and this has helped further boost overall sales.
“Furthermore, the great offers we have for the public are driving our sales increase. We are confident that we will surpass all previous sales and make this the biggest Gitex ever for Jumbo Electronics.”
This year’s value-packed free bundles and offers make it the “best year ever for our customers at Gitex,” he said.
“Sales are looking much better than our prediction,” said Neelesh Bhatnagar, the chief executive at Emax. “Before the event, we expected a 40 per cent sales increase compared to last year, but now we are expecting 50 to 55 per cent growth by the end of it.”
Last year, retailers at Gitex Shopper reported total sales of Dh193 million while this year’s sales are expected to cross Dh200 million.
