An Thai Binh supermarket market is deserted

Once considered a bustling market, with a variety of goods to meet the shopping needs of workers and laborers working in Yen Binh Industrial Park, in recent years, purchasing power at An Thai Binh Supermarket, in Dong Tien Ward (Pho Yen City) has decreased significantly. This has affected the business and trading activities of small traders.

The market is deserted, many kiosks and stalls in the food business area have no revenue, or low revenue, and have had to close and return the premises.

An Thai Binh Supermarket is located in the An Thai Binh Resettlement Area planning area, invested by Tan Duc Group Joint Stock Company. The market came into operation in 2018, with a scale of over 120 kiosks. In the first years of operation, the market attracted more than 100 small traders with a variety of products.

With the advantage of convenient traffic, and being located near Samsung Electronics Vietnam Thai Nguyen Co., Ltd. - the largest company in Yen Binh Industrial Park, it attracts a large number of workers and laborers to come shopping. Especially in the evening, the stores selling clothes, shoes, cosmetics... are bustling, crowded with people coming and going.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Lan, a vendor at the market: At the beginning of the year, there are usually new workers, so essential goods and household items sell very well. At the end of the year, the demand for suitcases, handbags, clothes, shoes, etc. is higher. For workers, they do not need very good products, affordable prices are the top priority.

According to many workers, at each monthly pay period, the goods in An Thai Binh Supermarket are more abundant than usual, and many small traders in some places even transport goods on trucks to the market to sell. Compared to some other traditional markets, the goods here are cheaper by a few thousand to a few tens of thousands per item. Sellers do not have to haggle, and buyers rarely have to bargain because the goods have their prices listed.

Ms. Hoang Thi Hue, a worker at Samsung Electronics Vietnam Thai Nguyen Co., Ltd.: The traffic is convenient and close to the workplace, so after work, I often stop by An Thai Binh market to buy food and daily necessities. Here, there are all kinds of goods for sale, the prices are suitable for workers' budgets, so there are many buyers.

Once crowded and bustling, but in the past 3 years, purchasing power at An Thai Binh supermarket has gradually decreased. The market is deserted, many kiosks and stalls have no revenue, or low revenue, forcing them to close, transfer or return the premises.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, a vegetable trader at the market: Every day, around 9-10 am, I have customers coming to buy goods. Because at that time, workers finish their night shift and go shopping to cook lunch. If before, I imported 3-4 million VND worth of vegetables, tubers, and fruits a day, now, I only import more than 1 million VND and still can't sell them all.

Business and shopping activities at the market are increasingly gloomy, the number of closed or transferred kiosks has now reached 50%. Explaining this issue, Mr. Luu Tuan Khoa, Head of the Management Board of An Thai Binh Supermarket Market, said: For a long time, workers working at Yen Binh Industrial Park have been a large customer base of the market. However, in recent years, the economic difficulties have led to fewer orders for businesses, forcing them to cut back on labor or have workers take turns off work. Therefore, workers' incomes have also decreased, they have had to tighten spending, and the business of small traders at the market has also been sluggish.

Moreover, for many years now, Samsung Electronics Vietnam Thai Nguyen Company has arranged vehicles to pick up and drop off workers, so the number of people renting accommodation around this area has also decreased significantly. Besides, currently supermarkets, convenience stores and even temporary markets are increasing, so many customers have switched to shopping elsewhere... - Mr. Luu Tuan Khoa

Faced with the difficult and sluggish situation at the market, in addition to reducing staff and renting kiosks suitable for the scale, some small traders have also gradually switched to online business and sales, as well as applying discount and promotion programs similar to stores and supermarkets to attract customers.

Once crowded and bustling, in the past 4 years, purchasing power at An Thai Binh supermarket in Dong Tien ward (Pho Yen city) has decreased significantly.

Mr. Ta Van Long, owner of a men's fashion store, said: For the past two years, I have started learning how to take photos, record videos, post products on Facebook and Zalo to sell and receive money via bank transfer. Selling online has brought positive signals, helping me reach more customers, I only get what customers order, so I don't need too much capital at once to import goods.

Ms. Hoang Thi Men, a vendor selling cooked food at the market: Realizing that online sales are a trend, even though I am old, I not only sell directly at the market, but also take more pictures of the products and post them on social networking sites, and deliver them to customers when requested. Thanks to that, the business situation has also improved somewhat recently.

Goods are consumed slowly, so out of a total of more than 100 small traders, up to now, about 40 small traders have stopped operating or transferred their kiosks. Based on the above reality, along with propaganda and mobilizing small traders to comply with business rules and regulations, the Management Board of An Thai Binh Supermarket has also created all favorable conditions for small traders to maintain their business such as: reducing part of the kiosk rental price, instead of collecting kiosk rental fees every 3-6 months, now the enterprise collects monthly to reduce the burden on small traders.

The Market Management Board also focuses on rearranging order and aesthetics to create an airy and convenient space for sellers and buyers; creating conditions and supporting traders to change business models, change payment methods using QR codes, etc.

Not only at An Thai Binh supermarket, some restaurants, entertainment stores around Yen Binh Industrial Park have had to close, transfer or return the premises due to lack of customers.

Current reality shows that not only An Thai Binh Supermarket, but also some restaurants, entertainment facilities around Yen Binh Industrial Park are in a state of "starving customers". Therefore, in addition to choosing to sell suitable products and not following trends, small traders also need to flexibly change their business forms to improve purchasing power...

Pho Yen City currently has 1 type 1 market (Ba Hang market), 11 type 3 markets, with a total of over 1,400 fixed business locations. In recent times, the city has encouraged localities and enterprises to focus on investing, renovating and upgrading trade and service infrastructure according to the planning; creating conditions for traders who need to participate in investing in market construction; implementing the conversion of market management models according to approved regulations and plans.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202411/cho-sieu-thi-an-thai-binh-vang-nguoi-mua-0911429/