Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Jan 13: The extended dry spell that has gripped the Valley is having a profound impact on local businesses, with footwear shops experiencing a notable dip in sales.
Many footwear wholesalers and retailers said that 90 percent winter footwear stock is still on shelves and that they don’t expect any positive turn around now.
“Half of the Chilaie-Kalan is over now, more than 90% of the winter stock we had purchased remains unsold. We are hardly witnessing any sales,” said a footwear wholesaler in Lal Chowk in Srinagar.
Another footwear wholesaler in Batamaloo area said majority of their water proof, foam and fur shoes were still packed in boxes as they are witnessing no demand due to ongoing dry spell.
“This dry spell has incurred a huge financial losses to us and these loses will affect our upcoming sales. Over 85% of our footwear stock has remained unsold,” said Sajad Ahmad.
Another retail shopkeeper said that ideally in this season one should be wearing warm shoes, but people are using either canvas or sports shoes, attributing this change to prevailing dry weather conditions.
Notably, footwear retailers specializing in foam, fur and waterproof shoes are facing a significant challenge, as consumers are opting for lighter and more breathable options during this prolonged dry period.
Meanwhile, the weather department on Saturday predicted dry spell may persist till 23 January, posing an ongoing challenge for footwear retailers and wholesalers.
