The New Nation - Internet Edition

Shamim Jahangir

As the Eid festival is only a few days away, the foot-wear shops in the capital have been witnessing heavy rush of buyers since Thursday .

The well-off people were found thronging the shoe outlets at Basundhara City, DCC Park Market , Navana Tower, Shoppers World and Star World at Gulshan, New Market and Elephant Road.

Women and children were mainly seen rushing to the shoe markets.

The less privileged people preferred makeshift shoe outlets at Gulistan, Gaushia Market, surrounding areas of New Market and Dhaka College and many other places across the capital.

Salesmen at different shoes markets said that the male consumers were mainly choosing flat hill shoes, Kolapuri and Davdas sandal, Nagra shoes this year. One pair of these shoes is selling between Tk 6,00 and Tk 2,000.

The male customers have also chosen both country and foreign brand shoes to make their Eid festival more enjoyable and colourful. The price of brand shoes is varying from Tk 1,000 to Tk 25,000. The ordered shoes cost Tk 8,00 and Tk 10,000.

The female consumers have been showing interest in coloured and designed sandals with marble and stone settings. They are priced between Tk 4,00 and Tk 15,000, a sales manger of Navana Tower said.

On the other hand, different varieties of children shoes and sandals were selling at prices ranging from Tk 450 to Tk 5,000 per pair.

The foot-wear outlets at the Elephant Road have been doing brisk business with both home made and foreign foot wears. The prices of one pair of shoes at this market vary from Tk 1,000 to Tk 25,000.

A shoe shop owner at Elephant Road said the prices of shoes have shot up by 10 to 12 percent this year following price hike of raw materials.Still prices shoes are much less compared to other essential commodities, he noted.

Mantra, an exclusive fashion store at Gulshan-1, is stuffed with all kinds of men and women brand shoes.

"Mantra is selling men's Jens shoes at prices ranging from Tk 2,500 to Tk 4,500, ladies colourful sandal from Tk 12,00 to Tk 5,500," an executive of Mantra said.

Kumudini Handicrafts, a unit of Kumudini Welfare Trust of Bengal Ltd, is charging Tk 250 to Tk 450 for a pair of Nagra shoes.

Taslim, a third- year honours student of the National University, told the New Nation at shoe shop at elephant road said, "though the prices of the shoes and sandal have registered a sharp rise this year, still I can't imagine celebrating the Eid without buying them".