Retailers are passing through tough time as sales at their shops have almost halved due to the current political unrest and frequent general strikes, shop owners said.
\nThey said most of the small businessmen were forced to meet their operational cost with capital fund in recent weeks as they had failed to make any profits in the period.Shah Alam Khandaker, organising secretary of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity, said that many of the shop owners were facing bankruptcy due to the repeated shutdown.
\nShah Alam, also the owner of Men\u2019s Wear on Elephant Road in the capital, said that average sales at his showroom decreased by more than 50 per cent and he faced difficulties in making payment to staff.
\n\u2018So, middle and small traders are forced to borrow from banks to maintain operational cost including shop rent, utility bill and staff payment and they are in debt to the banks,\u2019 said the leader of the shop owners association.
\nDhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its recent study said, \u2018The country loses around Tk 1,600 crore for general strike in a day and the wholesale markets, shopping malls, showrooms, small and retail shops, most affected by the ongoing political turmoil, lose the highest amount of Tk 600 crore in a day\u2019s shutdown.\u2019
\nShafiqul Islam, proprietor of Manihar Fabrics at Mouchak Market, said that he incurred loss of Tk 33,000 last month as his shop remained closed for 11 days in the period due to political violence and general strikes.
\n\u2018I have to pay the rent, utility bills and staff payment from my capital fund and now it is becoming very tough to maintain my family needs,\u2019 he said.
\nShafiqul alleged that the political leaders were not thinking about the middle and small businesses that were straggling to survive.
\nMd Shajahan, a clothes retailer at Karwan Bazar, said that the operational cost of his shop was Tk 1,500 a day.
\n\u2018But in the last two months sales at his shop witnessed drastic fall,\u2019 he said.
\nThough the traders at the Karwan Bazar super market remain their shops open during general strikes, they see very thin turnout of the consumers, he said.
\nShajahan said that in the last two months he could not make any profit.
\nRezaul Islam Monto, owner of Mishi Fashion at Malibag Super Market, said that sales at his fashion house decreased by 50 to 70 per cent due to frequent general strikes.
\nMiddle and small traders are the main victims of the strikes as they have not sufficient capital or savings, he said.
\nRezaul, also the vice-president of Dhaka Mohanagar Dokan Malik Samity, said that political parties were turning a deaf ear to the businesses\u2019 request for alternative programme.
\nRafiqul Islam, a small grocery shop owner at Rampura Bazar, said that he had been suffering due to hartal as sales at his shop plunged.
\nUsually sales at his shop amount to Tk 10,000 a day, but the sales drop to Tk 2,000-Tk 2,500 during hartal.
\n\u2018It is becoming very difficult to bear the daily expense of my family and recently I have to spend my savings,\u2019 he said.
\nMd Shahidul Islam, Malibagh Chowdhurypara branch manager of Transcom Electronics Limited, said that sales of home appliances decreased by around 50 per cent due to political instability.
\n\u2018In the last two months, we failed to achieve the sales target as the turnout of buyers was very thin.\u2019<\/p>\n

-With New Age<\/span> input<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Retailers are passing through tough time as sales at their shops have almost halved due to the current political unrest and frequent general strikes, shop owners said. They said most of the small businessmen were forced to meet their operational cost with capital fund in recent weeks as they had failed to make any profits … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[209,199,4575,9952,9973,9974],"yoast_head":"\n