Cricket souvenirs relating to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 are selling well in Dhaka, with shop-keepers hoping that Bangladesh’s defeat to India on Saturday would not affect sales.
Shopkeepers, however, said that the souvenir business was likely to improve if Bangladesh would qualify for the quarter-finals.
Mohammad Abu Taher, the sales officer of Inter Sports, a shop at the Bangabandhu National Stadium market, said that the ICC competition had increased sales of cricket items such as Bangladesh jersey, helmet, ball, gloves, and shoes by about 15 per cent.
Alamin, a staff member at the World Sports based at Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium, and Purni Sports’ proprietor Mohammad Nasir agreed that business had been good, particularly the sales of cricket jerseys, but sales had been seriously affected as in February 9–18, both the Bangabandhu National Stadium and the Hockey Stadium were closed for refurbishment and beautification works.
Ideal Sport shop manager Mohammad Bashar said that although Bangladesh had lost in the first match, the sales of cricket items, in his view, would continue to increase in coming days.
Shah Sports’ manager Mohammad Gias Uddin said the sales of some items had increased by 200 per cent while, he thought, future business would depend on the performance of the Tigers.
On Bangabandhu Avenue, Sports Zone’s owner Mohammad Babu said that since February 10, the sales of different cricket items and souvenirs had increased across the country with their shops alone selling 300 to 400 jerseys.
‘Although Bangladesh lost in the first match, it should not have any negative impact on the business,’ he said. ‘The sales will increase on weekly holidays.’
Staff of many sports shops, including Sports Bazar, Feel Co Sports, Maks Sports, Monihar Sports, National Sports, and Nabarun Traders said that a very few foreigners had come to the shop.
It has not just been sports shops doing well out of the World Ccup, with many other shops, like Bashundhara City’s Deshi Dash boutique sections including Rang, Banglar Mela and Kay Kraft are selling souvenirs and items for the Cricket World Cup.
‘Our T-shirts were sold out within a few days and now we are selling 8 to 10 items of our other collection every day,’ said Mohammad Zahirul Amin in-charge of the boutique section Rang.
Staff of Banglar Mela and Kay Kraft said similar things.
In New Market and Aziz Super Market, shops were also selling T-shirts, flags, audio cassettes, hand-bands, head-bands, and other cricket related gift items.
Tea and cigarettes seller Masud said he sold about 30 flags a day with the young boys buying a lot of head-bands.
Shah Alam, a T-shirt seller, said he was selling about 60-70 T-shirts daily. Many tea shirts were printed with the picture of Sakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.
Audio cassette shop Shurer Akash’s employee Hasan said that there were six audio cassettes available celebrating the World Cup — Jege Utho, Cup Kintu Ektai, Jay Karbe Bangladesh, Utsab, Jayadhwani, and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 — and he was selling about 30 of them a day.
Courtesy of New Age
