After a long 42-day strike, jewellery shops have finally pulled up the shutters in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Since it was Guru Pushyanakshatra and public holiday, the shops have received a high footfall, but still the sales were not as expected.
As per the sources, business on Thursday was estimated to be Rs 150 crore – Rs 200 crore which is not even half of the daily average sales before the strike episode.
“All the shops have opened after the strike but the sales on Thursday were not as expected. Many people still do not know that the strike is over, especially people in rural areas and outside of cities,” President, Gujarat Jewellers Association, Zaveribhai Zaveri was quoted by TNN as saying.
“The response was quite good considering the 42-day shutdown. Most of the customers bought wedding jewellery while many gave orders for the near future as well. When it comes to buying jewellery, people prefer jewellers whom they trust. It will take time, but sales will pick up soon,” city-based jeweller, Manoj Soni was quoted by TNN as saying.
To the above quote another jeweller Girish Choksi said “The prices did play spoil sport but mandatory quoting of PAN card on purchase of Rs 2 lakh and above also affected sales.”
After a long strike, jewellers agreed to open their showrooms on Wednesday after the Union Government accepted most of their demands. The excise duty will be applicable from March 1 and last date for registering with excise department is June 30.
