Blanket sales soar despite summer heat

The mercury may have soared in the UAE, but some people are buying blankets and comforters.

Expatriates, mainly Palestinians, Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanese and Egyptians, going home for the vacation, are buying plenty of blankets because they cost three times as much in their countries. Some are buying up to 10 at a time.

Abdul Monem Farid, a Jordanian, said he is buying some for himself and others he will give as gifts.

"A blanket costs around Dh60-100 here and Dh500 back home. Most relatives and friends want blankets as gifts." Some have paid him to buy blankets. Farid said there are expatriates who trade in blankets.

Salim Al Qatami, a Palestinian, said back home some people use two blankets during winter.

Hence, a family needs around 10. Expatriates travelling home by bus can carry around 10 blankets.

Rashid Saeed, owner of a shop in Al Nakheel that sells blankets, said June and July see an increase in sales.

His shop sells a minimum of 50 blankets daily and sales are increasing. Bus drivers are buying them to sell when they reach their destinations to make a big profit.

Ayman Ali, of a travel agency, said agencies know that every family carries around five blankets. At the destination there are some traders waiting to buy them. Their branch in Amman, Jordan, receives daily requests from the people asking it to procure blankets.