Both retailers and consumers in the country have been benefiting from the various promotions and discounts being offered during the ‘Summer in Qatar’ (SiQ) programme, which started on June 4 and runs until August 16, it is learnt.
SiQ forms part of Qatar National Tourism Council’s focus on developing sustainable and year-round tourism aimed at boosting a traditionally slower season in the country.
“We hit our sales target two days before the deadline last month (June). Shoppers thronged our store during the final weekend to take advantage of the huge discounts,” said an employee of a leading sports chain who was deployed in one of their stores in Doha.
He told Gulf Times that shoes and apparels of various types (training and running, among others) are among the bestsellers, followed by indoor sports equipment such as treadmills and cross trainers.
Besides discounts of up to 70%, the employee said that SiQ’s raffle draws have been enticing more residents and visitors to shop at the participating malls: Doha Festival City, Mall of Qatar, Lagoona Mall, Landmark Mall, Gulf Mall, Tawar Mall, Al Khor Mall, Hyatt Plaza and Al Mirqab Mall.
Each QR200 spent qualifies each shopper for the two remaining raffle draws, where over QR2mn cash and car prizes are at stake. The grand winner at the final draw, scheduled on August 16, will take home a McLaren sports car.
According to QNTC, the first SiQ draw was held at Lagoona Mall on June 28, with nine winners winning QR400,000 in cash prizes.
An employee of a famous apparel brand, which operates at major malls in Doha, said their sales soared even before the start of Eid al-Fitr holidays on June 4.
“Until today, we have been receiving a significant number of shoppers who are still availing of the huge discounts we offer,” she said, adding that the entertainment shows and activities for families and children attracted more people to spend the holidays at malls.
She describes the summer season as “a usually challenging period” for retailers annually but “this year seemed to be the opposite so far”.
Like retailers, many customers also lauded these SiQ offerings saying that they got a good value for their money.
A Filipino expatriate said he saved a lot of money for getting a branded pair of running shoes for less than QR300, previously pegged at over QR600, while his compatriot paid QR247 for three pairs of branded flat shoes.
“Just imagine – for this amount I was able to buy shoes for myself, my wife and daughter,” he said. “With purchases worth more than QR1,400, I got seven raffle tickets for the next draw.”
Source:gulf-times.com
