Hyderabad: Lockdown curbs blight businesses

Hyderabad Lockdown: As Covid pandemic continues to haunt people indiscriminately, restrictions on marriages and functions, the wedding season has turned bleak for businesses related to jewellery, clothes, electronics and furniture.

These businesses are struggling to survive, as weddings are cancelled, put off, or either done at a low-key. As most 'shadis' are to be held after the month of Ramzan, a hectic business is set in motion far ahead of the season that spans three months.

Though the government has extended lockdown relaxations for 12 hours a day, not many customers are being seen at stores, rather than grocery and supermarkets, shopping for non-essentials. Major markets of electronic, home utensils, clothes, jewellery and furniture in the City are open, but hope for customers. Due to restrictions on weddings and functions, people are shopping for must items, not non-essentials.

Said Shaik Abdul Quadri, owner of a readymade garment store at Pathergatti said, "Even last year there was no business during the wedding season. This year too it is poor. Before weddings everyone will be purchasing new clothes, but now due to restrictions in the number of guests in functions, most families have skipped purchasing new clothes."

Hyder Ali, of Ghulam Hyder Jewellery Store, Gulzar Houz, said that earlier people used to purchase gold and jewellery on a large scale. But restrictions and postponement of weddings have affected the business a lot.

Earlier, during a marriage families used to make a lengthy list of items to be purchased. But now most families have shortened the wedding items list. This has affected business relating to weddings.

Owners of most business establishments said that they could not even pay rent of their shops and salaries to the staff. Balakrishna, who owns Sri Women Selections in Sultan Bazar said that many shop-owners could not even pay rents and removed half of the staff.

While, Syed Ahmed of City Furniture, Nampally, said "Earlier people would purchase at least six pieces. Usually, we earn good profit during festivals and wedding season. For the last two years there have been restrictions on festivals and weddings, which affected us a lot."

Syed Ahmed of City Furniture, Nampally, said that earlier people would purchase at least six-piece wedding set, including bed, mattress, dressing table, showcase, wardrobe, dining table and sofa set. Now, the orders are limited only to bed, mattress and almarah.

Most furniture-makers in the City are not taking any new orders for making wedding sets. People now purchase only readymade sets. "The market is running without labour, as most of them have left for their native places in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other States. No new furniture is being made at all."