Vietnam News Network

Hanoians now begin to flock into supermarts and traditional markets to do shopping for Tet which is coming in two weeks. The purchasing power is expected to increase by 20-30% in the coming days.

Fivimart Truc Bach at 9.30 am January 10, 2009

Like many other women, Hang did shopping on Sunday because she is afraid she will have no more time to do shopping in the next few days. Besides, Hang said she fears the prices may go up in a few days due to the higher purchasing power.

Hang also said that though the prices are a bit higher than in traditional markets, she still prefers going to supermarts as she is sure she can purchase good commodities at supermarts.

Supermarts and shops have been heating up these days. A lot of companies have given Tet bonuses to their staff, which has explained why the purchasing power has increased. Though having experienced a difficult year, a lot of housewives still try to purchase a lot of commodities because ‘Tet comes only once in every year.’

Ha, a state employee in Dong Da district related that she and her husband agreed to purchase a 32-inch LCD TV with the Tet bonuses. However, the purchase plan has been cancelled due to the difficulties of the national economy. Ha has also decided to cut expenses on buying a DVD player, consumer products, footwear and clothes for herself.

Ha said that the bonuses will be divided into two parts, one will be spent for Tet, while the other will be deposited at banks.

Other supermarts, including Big C, Fivimart, Hapro Mart, yesterday all witnessed consumers rushing to make purchases. Not only Hanoians, but also the residents from neighbouring provinces like Hung Yen, Bac Ninh and Hai Duong have also come to do their shopping.

The most selllable items include dried products (cat’s ear, field mushroom, vermicelli made of cassava), frozen seafood, drinks (beer and liquor) and confectionaries.

Housewives said that the commodity prices have increased by 10% over the previous week.

Melon seed is now selling at VND 130,000/kg, an increase of VND 20,000/kg over the previous year. Fish sauce is priced at between VND 13,000 and VND 70,000 a bottle. The brewery price has increased as the consumption proves to be very big. Halida, Viet Ha and Hanoi beer are now selling at VND 117,000-181,000/box of 24 cans.

After the melamine scandal, China-made confectionaries have disappeared from the market. Supermarts and retail shops all said that 90% of confectionaries products for Tet are made in Vietnam which has familiar brand names like Kinh Do, Bibica, Hai Ha, Hanco and Vinabico.

Two months ago, the Hanoi Trade Department asked trade corporations and supermarts in Hanoi to stock up merchandise to ensure that they have enough commodities to be sold on Tet. Vu Vinh Phu, Chairman of the Hanoi Supermart Association, said that the volume of commodities to be provided by supemarts in the city will be 1.5 times higher than the previous year

The purchasing power in Hanoi is expected to rise by 20-30% on pre-Tet days, a slight decrease in comparison with previous Tets. However, supermarts are still happy that their businesses remain more satisfactory than other distribution channels. It is because the main clients of supermarts are those who have stable income.