Numaish traders in soup, send SOS to Exhibition Society

Hyderabad: Hundreds of traders at the ongoing Numaish exhibition expressed their disappointment this year due to a lack of business, particularly the cloth merchants from North India, who reported significant financial losses. Numerous stall owners indicated that their earnings were less than 40 per cent of their revenue this year and urged the exhibition society to either extend the exhibition or offer reductions on stall rental fees.

Although Numaish is attracting a huge visitor footfall, traders appear to be disappointed. They say people are thronging Numaish but are not evincing interest to shop. The traders, especially those from Lucknow, Kashmir, Rajasthan, Delhi and other States, are reeling under slump in sales. Irrespective of the number of visitors, which remained almost the same compared to the previous years, the traders at these stalls can be seen waiting for customers.

However, traders at the fair say that they have been incurring losses as stocks are yet to be disposed of. “With a week left for the exhibition, traders are not able to do business, as hardly 40 per cent business is transacted. If this trend continues, we will suffer huge losses and may go back with their stocks,” said Kishore, the owner of Rajasthani fabric stalls.

According to the traders, the stall rents at Numaish range between Rs 50,000 to Rs 20 lakh, depending on the size and the location. For the last few days, traders have been protesting in front of the society’s office and urging the officials to extend the fair or to give discounts on stall rentals. Vijay, a trader said, “The society has been raising stall rental fees annually, yet this has resulted in a complete lack of business for the cloth merchants.”

Additionally, the traders say they have to pay salaries to the staff and people who were brought by them in addition to expenses incurred for their board and lodging. “We do not even make profit from business. As we have been suffering for the last one month in incurring expenses, including travelling, transportation and stall charges,” said Ashfaq Ansari of UP who sells Lucknowi dresses at the exhibition.

The traders had to shell huge amounts in the form of increased rent by the society, which include insurance, and power connection. “Due to the increase in rent of stalls, we were forced to increase the price on items and customers are not willing to spend more money,” said a trader who wishes not to be named.

Another Kashmiri stall owner Zubair Ahmed Khan said that for the last 20 years he had been setting up the Kashmiri dresses stall in Numaish. Earlier he used to procure stock twice or thrice. But this time, it is limited to one-time procurement, and that too is yet to be disposed of.

The exhibition society received the request and it is yet to issue an official decision on extending the fair.