Consumers said that retail stores had introduced pre-Ramadan promotions with discounts of up to 75% on a wide range of products
They emphasized the need to diversify offerings and prioritize primary food commodities to enhance discount rates on meat, poultry, egg goods, dairy, and cheese.
The sales outlets stated that launching Ramadan discounts early provides families with greater flexibility to purchase at various times and helps in preventing overcrowding. They also highlighted the increase in discount rates, which rose to 75%.
Consumer Hassan Abdulaziz explained that recent market initiatives offering early deals for the upcoming Ramadan season demonstrate positive competitiveness among sales outlets. This will benefit consumers by allowing them to shop early and select the best offers based on discounts and quality.
Consumer Khaled Ammar mentioned that several shopping outlets have already started offering discounts for the fasting month before mid-February. This helps families to get everything they need gradually and select discounted products. Emphasizing the significance of expanding the range of products included in offerings, with a concentration on primary food staples.
Consumer Adel Hassan stated that the early introduction of discounts during Ramadan, along with the launch of extensive offers with discounts up to 75% on a larger variety of products compared to previous years, is a positive sign for the retail sector.
Hassan and his counterpart agreed to diversify the range of discounted commodities and to enhance discounts on meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, and cheese.
Consumer Umniah Saeed observed that this year's Ramadan offers had greater discounts and included more products compared to previous year, which she sees as a positive factor that boosts market competitiveness.
She said that certain sales outlets concentrate their discounts on a few brands, suggesting a need to diversify items by focusing on products with strong demand at that period.
Furthermore, Dr. Suhail Al-Bastaki, the director of institutional communication at the Federation Cooperative, stated that submitting Ramadan offers early allows families more flexibility to shop at various times and purchase their necessities at discounted prices throughout the Holy Month. He emphasized that increasing the discounts for Ramadan promotions aligns with market competitiveness and enhances buying options during the fasting month, which experiences high customer demand.
He stated that the Al-Ittihad cooperative has been focused on promptly launching offers since the start of February, which will run until the Eid Al-Fitr season. He mentioned that the Ramadan offers will involve multiple promotional campaigns and will feature a wide range of products and brands, as per the cooperative's supply operations agreements.
The Director of Marketing and Community Relations at Sharjah Cooperative, Faisal Khaled Al-Naboodah, announced early Ramadan offers, including discounts on around 10 thousand products worth 35 million dirhams. They also introduced Ramadan baskets to offer consumers more shopping choices during the month. Al-Naboodah stated that the initial radical proposals provide more opportunities to buy at various times and early, therefore helping to prevent crowding. He noted that the Sharjah Cooperative provided possibilities for prize withdrawals in addition to Ramadan discounts available at over 50 sales outlets in the emirate throughout the month of Ramadan.
Mohamed Bashir, a purchasing official in a retail trade chain, stated that the markets have seen an early and extensive increase in discounts during the Ramadan campaigns, surpassing previous years. The discounts now reach up to 75%.
He emphasized that enhancing competitiveness is a key reason driving the early introduction of discounts, which would ultimately benefit consumers and positively impact sales.