Dubai: From groceries to furniture and cars, discount signs are filling up store windows across Dubai, offering residents in the UAE the best prices during Ramadan.
The major sales are back again this year making Ramadan the perfect time to buy a car, have a house makeover, or even buy house supplies in bulk.
This year, almost every car showroom is offering a form of discount, including lower down payments, longer service coverage, and lower prices on some of their popular models.
Many retail stores are also displaying flashing red sale signs on their vitrines, offering between 25 per cent and 75 per cent discounts on clothes, shoes, and accessories.
Meanwhile, supermarkets and hypermarkets are offering customers Ramadan specials, such as ‘buy one, get one free,’ and bulk discounts on many food and beverage items. Furniture stores are also taking advantage of the high sales period and offering discounts as high as 50 per cent on their items.
With the Ramadan sales trend returning every year, what makes this month the perfect time to shop?
Furniture
With Ramadan being a time for family gatherings and social traditions, furniture shopping seems to be on top of the list for many families.
Gulf News spoke with Rasool Taj, senior buyer at ACE, hardware and furniture store, who said sale items offered this month range from covered cookware, bakeware and appliances to solar garden lights and furniture.
He explained that it is a combination of three primary factors that make Ramadan a key period for sales and offers across the retail industry.
“The first is the fact that Ramadan is primarily a period when spending time with family and loved ones is a priority. This creates more social opportunities and organically leads to a need for new or refreshed lifestyle products,” said Taj.
The second is that Ramadan is a 30-day lead up to Eid Al Fitr, which is an occasion where gifts are exchanged with loved ones, making this gifting opportunity the drive for a large part of the retail demand, he added.
“The third is that Ramadan brings more free time at hand, especially for non-Muslims, and much of it is spent at malls across the country. This is in line with the strong shopping culture in the region as well as the fact the Ramadan in summer creates the need for covered, cool areas of entertainment and leisure,” said Taj.
Naveed Younus, owner of Al Qadar Furniture Factory in Sharjah, also pointed out that they are fully booked for Ramadan. “There is so much demand for new furniture that we stop taking orders even before Ramadan,” he said.
Younus said many families, especially Emiratis, like to replace their home furniture during Ramadan because they receive a lot of guests for iftar parties and expect more guests in Eid. He said most of his customers are Emiratis who customise their furniture to suit their homes.
“Our workers have to work at night to complete the orders and ensure delivery of furniture on time,” said Younus.
Just the same, several Home Centre stores are offering discounts up to 70 per cent. “While most residents host family and friends throughout the month and are on the lookout for good deals, Home Centre has launched a Ramadan specific collection and offers special promotional offers during this time,” said Médéric Payne, CEO of the company.
Cars and retail
In the automobile industry, Gulf News spoke with Al Futtaim Honda showroom officials, whose Ramadan offers are available across the Honda range of new cars, bikes, certified pre-owned vehicles and after-sales. This year, Al Futtaim company is giving away discounts up to Dh5 million with deferred payments for four months.
“We tend to see stronger sales during Ramadan as customers take advantage of the exciting deals on offer across all our showrooms,” said a spokesperson.
Supermarkets and hypermarkets have also joined the hype. During Ramadan, Carrefour customers can enjoy access to daily ‘Crazy Deals,’ offering significant savings on commodities, especially family items and basket offers worth Dh100 (13 items) and Dh200 (26 items), said a Carrefour spokesperson.
“Ramadan is historically one of the busiest shopping periods in this region, as witnessed by us and other retailers in the UAE and the wider Middle East. As communities and families come together for the holy month, we see it as our responsibility to ensure that we continue to provide an industry-leading customer service and maintain the lowest possible prices,” said the spokesperson.
He added that stock is also planned well in advance, ensuring sufficient supply of all products throughout the promotional period.
Sound bites
Ryan Velasquez, a Filipino project manager
Velasquez said he intentionally delayed his plans to buy a car until Ramadan this year because of the promotions. “During Ramadan, there are loads of good promotions especially on cars. I saw four good ones like zero per cent interest, deferred payment for a good number of months, no down payment, and lots and lots of freebies. We don’t see these many promotions on regular days,” Velasquez, 35, told Gulf News.
Hala Abulhawa, 21, Palestinian student
“The promotions in the supermarkets for Ramadan are amazing but personally I do not wait till Ramadan to do grocery shopping. Some of the promotions are really attractive and if I find something really interesting, I do pick it up. But because of these offers, sometimes you also get things you do not really need to buy. So try to avoid buying unnecessary stuff just because there is an offer. I do my shopping for Eid from malls but I don’t notice much sales (in malls) during this month.”
Mariam Abu Saleh, 53, Palestinian retired teacher
“Almost all supermarkets during Ramadan has some offers and promotions. However, I’m not really interested in those offers. In my opinion, these shops and supermarkets know that many people would do a lot of grocery shopping during Ramadan. Therefore, they start to sell their old products with less demand with some fancy offers so people would be lured to buy more. Therefore, I do not wait till Ramadan to do some grocery shopping as well as any other type of shopping. Also, if I’m planning to buy a new car, I do not wait till Ramadan since car companies do have offers throughout the year.”
Rishi Serai, 21, Indian
“Ramadan is the season of giving, and many companies come up with offers and discounts, especially in automobiles. For those planning a large purchase, I’d say Ramadan is the most appropriate time to make one. I have purchased a car this Ramadan, and found that there is a significant discount in comparison to regular days. When it comes to vehicles, many companies combine price discounts with other packages like a five-year service contract, or free insurance, making it a hassle-free purchase.”
Zubair Haider, 37, Pakistani
“Ramadan has become a promotion period and so almost all brands that I associate with have something or the other to entice me and my family. It is not a target month, but one of the months to get good deals. I wanted to purchase a car but unfortunately due to unavailability of the model in question the purchase would happen after Ramadan. Vehicle distributors put on really good and enticing offers during Ramadan. I guess similar offers might be running through the year, but visibility becomes much greater during the holy month. I believe the transition has happened over the years from a time of festivities to a time of getting great deals from your favourite brands. I remember a time when we would get leaflets in Ramadan for promotions on food items and perishables. That has changed slightly to include other aspects like lifestyle and consumer goods as well.”
