With Pongal soon to be celebrated on January 15 and 16, retail and wholesale sales at the textile markets in the city have improved, as traders from other districts and States have come in for purchases.
Over 3,100 shops selling textile materials function at the E.K.M. Abdul Gani Textile Market (Gani Market) in Panneerselvam Park, Ashokapuram and near Central Theatre in the city. Likewise, weekly shops at the Gani Market function from Monday afternoon to Tuesday night, where people and traders purchase materials, both in retail and in bulk quantities.
K. Selvaraj, president of the Erode Gani Market Weekly All Textile Merchants’ Association, told The Hindu that the demand for synthetic dress materials for Pongal, particularly for children, was high and sale volumes were good. “The volume of both retail and wholesale sales is about 40% each,” he said and added that traders from Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Kallakurichi, had come in large numbers and bought material. Also, traders from Andhra Pradesh have made bulk purchases. “Sales will go on improving until Pongal,” he added.
