The closure of textile shops and showrooms during the complete lockdown period has severely affected business, say shop owners. They have urged the government to permit the functioning of textile shops and showrooms, with fixed timings, in order to revive their businesses.
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Secretary of Tamil Nadu Textile Merchants Association, Ashraf Tayub, says there are around 4,000 textile shops in Madurai, including small to large size shops. “Madurai is known as the textile hub of South Tamil Nadu,” he noted.
The shop owners say that the closure of shops for the past one and half months has severely impacted their businesses. This is the major season during which the textile shops record around 30% of their yearly sales, said G. Raja, manager of Saravana Stores. “The sale of school uniforms and clothes for weddings during this season accounts for a major portion of revenue earned by the textile shops. But the COVID-19 lockdown robbed this income from the textile shops,” he rued.
With no income, the shops are struggling to pay electricity charges, rent and salary for their staff.
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If the shops are not permitted to open, then many shops will have to completely shut down due to the financial crisis, said Mr. Tayub. “Hence, the government must permit the functioning of textile shops for a limited time period with compliance of COVID-19 safety precautions,” he demanded.