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| Gold Rush boosts retailers' sales 30% |
| Dilip Kumar Jha / Mumbai Oct 01, 2009, 21:10 IST |
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The Great Indian Gold Rush, a month-long event organised by the World Gold Council (WGC), has received an overwhelming response despite the sky-high prices of the precious metal.
Ajay Mitra, managing director, Indian sub-continent, WGC, said, “Consumers were eager to book as much as they could before any further rise in prices. Gold being an investment, higher prices have never been a barrier for Indian consumers.”
“Any sudden price spurt does affect gold consumption for a short period. But the yellow metal has corrected in the domestic market in the last couple of days, which has boosted consumer sentiment. There was also good support from the ongoing marriage season,” said Mitra. Gold slipped 2.14 per cent in the last one week from Rs 15,865 per 10 gram to Rs 15,525 per 10 gram.
Retailers like Mumbai-based Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) who participated in the event saw over 30 per cent rise in sales during Dussehra.
Although absolute numbers were yet to be compiled from all 12 retail points, initial indications were that we recorded over 30 per cent growth in sales during the Dussehra season, said Kiran Dixit of TBZ. Six out of 12 TBZ outlets are participating in the Gold Rush.
Started on September 19, the event is on in Mumbai (65 shops), New Delhi (70 shops), Bengaluru (25 shops) and Vidarbha (20 shops). The festival will end on October 18. It begins in Kolkata on October 2. Public sector Metals and Mineral Trading Corporation (MMTC) Ltd also organised a 10-day gold festival at its 17 stalls in New Delhi along with participating in Gold Rush. The company’s sales rose 15-20 per cent during the period.
Encouraged by consumers’ enthusiasm, MMTC is planning organise a similar sales event between October 5-15 across its retail points in New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
“Consumers at our stall liked our designs prepared in Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and New Delhi. They were also confident buying coins and bars minted in MMTC’s refinery. Surprisingly, many customers enquired about future price behaviour,” said Preeti Kaur, chief general manager (publicity), MMTC Ltd.
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