ANTD.VN - With just over two weeks until the Lunar New Year of the Dragon 2024, traditional markets show that sales of essential dry goods and food items are sluggish, with some places experiencing sluggish sales, generally down by about 30-40% compared to last year. Meanwhile, sales at supermarkets have increased. In the week leading up to Tet, traders expect sales to increase by 50% compared to normal days, focusing on essential items for the holiday. Sales of clothing and footwear are expected to increase slightly.
Wholesale purchases are being conducted cautiously.
In La Phu, Hoai Duc ( Hanoi ), the "capital" of confectionery and beverages, on the weekend leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), along the main road to the commune's People's Committee headquarters, every family utilizes the front of their house as a shop or warehouse for their products. Motorbikes and cars still arrive busily to transport goods, but it's not as busy as in previous years. The goods here are diverse, with a wide variety of designs, serving as a wholesale center for shops, supermarkets, and distribution to other provinces and cities. This year, even though Tet is approaching, purchasing power here remains very sluggish. There aren't many customers placing large orders; most are buying in bulk rather than stockpiling goods as before.
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In La Phu (Hoai Duc, Hanoi), the number of wholesale buyers is lower than in previous years. |
Ms. Thu Nga (Dan Phuong district, Hanoi) said: “Now that goods are readily available, we just go and get them as needed, selling while keeping an eye on market consumer trends. We only dare to import a few types of goods that are high-quality, have attractive designs, and are priced appropriately for local people.” From the perspective of a seller, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Anh - representative of Thai Consumer Goods Co., Ltd. (La Phu) said that at this time of year, there are usually a lot of shoppers. But this year's Tet is different; orders have decreased sharply, and there are fewer buyers. The items most frequently chosen by customers are those in the mid-price range.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Tuan, the owner of a confectionery business in La Phu commune, shared that he had never seen such slow sales of confectionery, soft drinks, and Tet food items, even though Tet is just around the corner. Sellers are only hoping that as people shop more closer to Tet, sales will increase.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ngo Van Trung, owner of Hoang Gia Ha Trung confectionery production facility (La Phu Industrial Park), said that from October 2023, which marked the beginning of the 2024 Tet holiday season, the factory always maintained nearly 20 workers. However, at this time, the factory has reduced the number of workers to only 10. “My family has been making confectionery for many years, providing stable jobs for more than 20 workers. However, never before has it been as difficult as it is now, with orders halved during the peak Tet season. Customers far away have stopped ordering, and nearby customers aren't selling much. Consumers also don't have the same stockpiling mentality as before,” said Mr. Ngo Van Trung.
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Goods for Tet are abundant, but consumer purchasing power remains sluggish. |
According to a survey by Hanoi Security, at several traditional markets such as Nghia Tan, Trung Van, Thanh Cong, and Long Bien wholesale market (Hanoi), essential goods for Tet (Lunar New Year) such as dried bamboo shoots, vermicelli, mushrooms, pork skin, processed foods, specialties, and even paper offerings are abundant and prices are stable. Dried bamboo shoots cost from 280,000 to 350,000 VND/kg depending on the type; vermicelli from 70,000 to 150,000 VND/kg; pork skin 40,000 VND/100g; traditional spring roll wrappers 7,000 VND/pack… Regarding the purchasing power for Tet 2024, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Huong (Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi) said that this year's purchasing power is slower than in previous years, and many wholesalers are still hesitant to buy. Small traders are hesitant to stockpile Tet holiday goods that have a short shelf life and accept that if prices increase closer to Tet, they will sell them at the same rate.
Boosting promotions to stimulate consumer spending.
Amidst the cautious shopping habits of consumers, supermarket chains have focused on boosting their Tet (Lunar New Year) product lines, enhancing both quality and design, along with numerous deep discounts to stimulate demand. Ms. Nguyen Thu Tra (Ha Dong district, Hanoi) said that she took advantage of the weekend to take her children to Coop Mart Ha Dong supermarket to shop for Tet. This year, goods are abundant and there are many promotions, so she was able to save a considerable amount of money. "This year is difficult, so I'm buying less than before. In general, I only need to buy enough for myself and add gift baskets for both sides of the family," Ms. Thu Tra said.
According to observations at several supermarket chains such as BRG Mart, Hapromart, Haprofood; Go!BigC, Co.opmart/Co.opXtra; WinMart and WinMart+/WIN stores, attractive promotions of over 50% are being offered on hundreds of products. Many essential items such as fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, confectionery, beverages, and Tet gifts are discounted by up to 30%. Supermarkets have also set up eye-catching Tet gift basket displays with various price ranges. In terms of product structure, Vietnamese goods account for 90% of the products on the shelves, with agricultural products making up over 95%. Accordingly, many Tet gift basket options, from high-end to budget-friendly, are available at prices ranging from 300,000 VND to 2 million VND per basket.
According to Nguyen Huong, a direct salesperson at the BRG Mart supermarket chain, purchasing power at the supermarket is currently quite good. Essential goods, agricultural products, and regional specialties such as bamboo shoots, mushrooms, banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cake), gio cha (Vietnamese sausage), and confectionery are seeing increased demand. To stimulate sales, many products are discounted by up to 50%.
Ms. Nguyen Thuy Duong, Deputy General Director of BRG Retail Co., Ltd., said that to meet the demand for sufficient, economical, and efficient shopping during the year-end holiday season, BRGMart supermarket has coordinated with suppliers to stock up on Tet holiday goods, increasing the volume of goods threefold compared to other months of the year. Currently, the company's retail system has fully stocked its warehouses with Tet holiday goods, especially high-quality agricultural products and regional specialties. In addition, the company is actively participating in Hanoi's price stabilization program for essential goods. It is expected that price-stabilized goods will account for more than 30% of the company's total Tet holiday goods.
A representative from the WinCommerce retail system stated that, starting in early December 2023, WinMart supermarkets and WinMart+/WIN stores nationwide have been stocking Tet (Lunar New Year) goods at discounted prices, including dried goods, confectionery, beer, wine, and soft drinks. This year, WinCommerce continues to launch its 2024 Tet gift collection, "A Complete Tet - Expressing Sincere Wishes," with gift baskets priced to suit customer needs. In addition, the "New Year Celebration - A Perfect Tet" promotion, running from December 28, 2023 to January 10, 2024, offers discounts of up to 30% on essential items such as fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, confectionery, beverages, and Tet gifts.
According to representatives from the Central Retail chain, Big C is currently offering a 50% discount on personal care products, beauty products, household goods, fresh food, dried food, spices, etc. Observations show that in supermarkets, Tet holiday goods, predominantly in yellow and red colors, are filling the shelves. Many products are sold in combos or with promotions and gifts to attract customers. Current purchasing power at supermarkets and retail stores is starting to increase, especially on weekends.
Ms. Tran Thi Phuong Lan, Acting Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, said that goods for Tet this year at wholesale markets and large supermarkets are quite abundant and prices are stable. To increase consumer purchasing power, ministries, sectors, and localities are actively implementing activities to connect supply and demand, promote trade, support the consumption of goods during Tet, and synchronously and effectively implement the campaign "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods".
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