Gurgaon: Jewellery stores see heavy rush, but only token purchases

The Gold Souk Mall in Sushant Lok Phase-1, which has more than 200 shops dedicated to gold, silver and diamond jewellery, witnessed a footfall of 20,000 on Tuesday. However, store owners said the sale was sluggish.

Residents thronged jewellery shops and malls in the city on Tuesday past midnight on the occasion of Dhanteras. On Wednesday, too, markets were crowded with last-minute shoppers, but all the frenzy has not translated into much revenue as compared to the Diwali sales last year.

The Gurgaon skyline stayed relatively clear on Wednesday giving residents a chance to enjoy the festival lights. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Dhanteras, which was celebrated on Tuesday, is considered an auspicious day for buying metals and people mostly buy gold and silver items.

The Gold Souk Mall in Sushant Lok Phase-1, which has more than 200 shops dedicated to gold, silver and diamond jewellery, witnessed a footfall of 20,000 on Tuesday. However, store owners said the sale was sluggish.

S K Mallik, BC Sen jewellery, said, “The sale this year is average as most people bought gold items of less value. People inquired about new designs and lightweight jewellery, but not many of these enquiries translated into sales.”

Malls and markets too are seeing a huge rush this week. But many store owners claim that this year, the sale is not “outstanding”.

Many shop representatives explained that it was a tiring day as people continued to shop even after midnight. “It was a tiring day as customers were busy buying gold and silver till 2am on Wednesday,” Pallavi of Caratlane said.

A few of the prominent market players were of the opinion that though the sales volume is low, Dhanteras brought in some renewed vigour post noon on Tuesday.

“The sale was sluggish in the morning, however, market saw a rush later in the day,” Mandeep Goyal, director, Shri Ram Jewellers, Sadar Bazar, Gurgaon.

Residents were seen buying gold to keep the tradition alive. “Buying jewellery on Dhanteras is considered auspicious. I bought a few gold coins,” said Surekha Ghosh, a resident of DLF Phase 4.

Meera Mohan, Sector 50, said, “I bought gold bangles and we are also planning to buy a few Ganesha and Lakshmi coins.”