Sales of shirts, ties and accessories, products that make for some of the best gifts during Christmas celebrations, will see a boom in growth in the following period, according to market players.
"As a rule, compared with the other months of the year, in December there is average growth of over 70% in sales of ties and 80% in the case of shirts. For Saint Nicholas (Romanian celebration), we noticed continued growth tendency, with the best-selling products for gifts being shirts, ties, belts, buttons and purses," says Emil Rosca, marketing director at Graftex, the company which distributes Bigotti products.
Graftex owns 17 Bigotti stores in Bucharest and around the country, most of which are located in shopping centres.
Gabriel Muraru, general manager of Dinasty, is of the same opinion. "Sales of shirts and ties see solid growth in last two weeks of December, reaching 80-100% higher than the annual average," said the Dinasty general manager.
The company runs two Dinasty clothes and accessories stores in Bucharest and Iasi, both in shopping centres, and owns a network of gala clothing stores called Alb si Negru.
According to Muraru, most shirts and ties sold in December are packed differently as compared to the rest of the year. "Most shirts and ties are bought as gifts and this is why the products need special packaging," added Muraru.
While sales of shirts and ties have grown this year compared to last year, increases have not been equal in all segments. According to market players, the latest market tendency has seen people buying the most expensive shirts available.
"Due to the improvement of the business environment, there is an orientation toward luxury items, with a preference for woven silk ties, which for us saw a 70% increase. Also, sales of Artigiani shirts (the most expensive brand in the Bigotti portfolio), surged by 60%," said Emil Rosca. Artigiani shirts cost more than 2 million ROL (50 euros).
Graftex is likely to reach a turnover of 6.5 million euros this year, according to its own estimates, representing a 45% increase on last year.
"More expensive fabrics and high-quality gauze are growing. Medium-range products have grown in importance in our sales this year, however those from the higher range have witnessed explosive growth over the same period, with more and more customers looking for something different," adds Muraru.
ionut.bonoiu@zf.ro
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