Dim Diwali: From watches to clothes, luxury brands get the slowdown blues

Walk into any designer clothing store which caters to businessmen in Mumbai and the absence of footfalls is evident

It’s not only local neighbourhood markets that are seeing sluggish Diwali sales, luxury brands too are disappointed by the downbeat festival mood.  

Mont Blanc watches, leather goods, and precious-resin infused writing instruments are not flying off the shelves. Its Mumbai store in the Palladium mall used to see large corporate houses order as many as 100 business card holders for a single transaction. That’s now down to orders of four or five units, or not at all.

Their pens used to be ordered in dozens. Orders this year are next to nothing. “Sales are down by at least 70 per cent for