AMMAN — Prices
of clothing will remain unchanged despite the global drop in freight costs,
said Asad Qawasmi, the clothing, footwear and jewelry sector representative at
the
Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC).
اضافة اعلان
According to
Qawasmi, “during Ramadan and Eid seasons, clothing merchants kept prices
unchanged although freight costs were increasing at the time.”
“At the
beginning of
Ramadan, the situation was good as the COVID-19 preventive
measures had been stopped and general satisfaction prevailed. However, after
Ramadan, liquidity declined and Jordanians started to focus on more important
commodities, like food, health, and education, which made it more difficult for
the clothing sector,” he added.
Not even
tourists and foreigners visiting the Kingdom affected the local market
positively, Qawasmi said, adding that “for the winter season, goods will be
exhibited at the beginning of October,” so maybe sales will pick up.
“Until September
10, 2022, our imports have been estimated at JD200 million, a 27 percent
increase over last year,” he stated.
President of the Textile and Readymade Clothes Syndicate
Sultan Allan told
Jordan News that “80 percent of clothing for the winter season has
already been imported.”
These hefty
figures suggest that big quantities of goods were purchased at high prices,
which makes it difficult, if not impossible, for merchants to lower prices.
Moreover, Allan
said, there are concerns that shopping in stores will be weak as “online
shopping continues to thrive and the high sales tax continues to be levied.”
He argued that
“shipments, which were imported last June and July were not affected by the
global drop of freight costs. However, shipments, imported after that will
certainly be affected and there could be a 2–3 percent decrease of clothing
prices”.
Allan stressed
that the period after Eid Al Adha has seen the longest recession, “for over 90
days”.
“Online shopping and
weak government decisions have played a major role in the recession,” he said.
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