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Business Standard
4 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Retail tills set to ring louder as Independence Day weekend approaches
Raksha Bandhan cheer rolls into the holiday break, with fashion and consumer durables eyeing a near double-digit sales lift Sharleen Dsouza Mumbai Retailers and malls expect shoppers to keep coming out this long weekend, riding on the upbeat mood from Raksha Bandhan. Fashion retailers are projecting high single-digit growth over the Independence Day (I-Day) weekend. In consumer durables, store traffic is already rising as bargain hunters pack outlets. Fashion and apparel chain Lifestyle expects the Raksha Bandhan momentum to spill over into the coming days, though the company says sales have been strong since April. 'We expect like-for-like sales to grow in high single digits during the upcoming weekend,' Devarajan Iyer, chief executive officer (CEO) of Lifestyle, told Business Standard. He added that the share of discounted stock is lower this season — under 15 per cent, with markdowns in the 20–25 per cent range. Typically, the brand offers up to 50 per cent off during I-Day sales. Lifestyle will limit its sale to Friday and Saturday, as higher regular-price sales allow it to push fresh stock at full price. Iyer said the brand has been more selective in ordering and managing inventory, keeping markdowns smaller both in volume and depth compared to past I-Day promotions. Last year, fashion and apparel retail suffered from weak consumer sentiment. The industry, however, has seen a steady revival since April. Bespoke menswear label Mohanlal Sons is also targeting a 10 per cent sales increase over last year's I-Day weekend. 'We had extremely weak sales last year. This year, we expect sales to be much better, with up to 50 per cent off on clearance stock and 25 per cent off on fresh arrivals,' said Mayank Mohanlal, partner and CEO of India's oldest retailer. Ambience Mall is also expecting heavier footfall this weekend, with the retail mood stronger than last year. 'Many brands are offering discounts of up to 50 per cent, some even more. We saw strong crowds last month, and expect sales to rise by 15–17 per cent this weekend,' said Arjun Gehlot, the mall's director. In consumer durables, Vijay Sales is already seeing I-Day weekend rushes fill stores. 'We expect no change this year. Our existing stores run at full capacity over the weekend, and new outlets are adding incremental sales,' said Nilesh Gupta, managing director of the electronics retailer.


The Hindu
12 hours ago
- The Hindu
Domestic travel booms owing to long I-Day weekend
The upcoming extended weekend [Independence Day on Friday followed by Saturday and Sunday] has led to many people from Bengaluru make domestic travel plans. With Krishna Janmashtami also falling on August 16, both to and fro travel from Bengaluru has increased. 'The extended weekend is driving a substantial increase in travel from Bengaluru with demand for flights, hotels, and holiday packages noticeably higher than last year. There is a clear preference for bookings to popular and easily accessible getaway destinations such as Goa, which have jumped by more than 80%. The increased demand on key routes to Mumbai and New Delhi has pushed fares higher during peak hours,' said Rikant Pittie, CEO and co-founder of EaseMyTrip. A few others have also been opting for destinations in Karnataka which can be reached in a few hours owing to the limited time that the weekend offers. 'Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru, which are the usual favourites during monsoon are gaining traction with many looking to book properties there while we have seen a slight increase in arrivals to Bengaluru too. As North Karnataka is too hot to travel during summer, we have seen a little bit of demand to destinations like Hampi over this weekend,' said Prathap Gowda, manager at a private tour organising agency. Puducherry, Kerala, and Hyderabad have also attracted many bookings from travellers from the city. According to PeekABoo, Cleartrip's travel trends tracker, popular air routes to/from Bengaluru are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Goa, Pune, Hyderabad, Varanasi, and Jaipur among others. Similarly, popular bus routes include Hyderabad, Chennai, Coimbatore, Vijayawada, and Pune. It has also noted that there has been a 60% increase in bookings for hotels in Bengaluru. 'Many people could not travel to their hometowns last weekend during Raksha Bandhan as the demand was high and the fares were higher. Since people believe that they can tie rakhis throughout the month, they are using this long weekend as an opportunity to travel back home and also spend a little time there,' Mr. Gowda noted. Despite the increased demand, fares continue to be stable across multiple modes of transport. 'I am travelling to Delhi this weekend to belatedly celebrate Raksha Bandhan. I had expected the flight tickets to be expensive than usual due to the long weekend. But it was only ₹1,500 more than usual, which is not a significant amount,' said Riya Jadhav, a bank employee who resides in the city. International destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Don Mueang, Bangkok etc. which can be covered in a shorter period have also been preferred. The long weekend also led to traffic snarls on Wednesday evening in places like Silk Board and Hebbal which connects the city with highways.


New Indian Express
14 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Tourism takes off: Long weekend promises strong gains for the industry
NEW DELHI: India's travel and hospitality sector is set for a strong upswing this long weekend, with early trends indicating that travellers are heading to popular destinations in large numbers. The absence of steep hikes in airfares and room rates is further encouraging many to make last-minute travel plans. "Long weekends have always been a popular reason for travel among travellers, and the window between Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan is no exception,' Manjari Singhal, Chief Growth and Business Officer, Cleartrip told TNIE. He added, 'Leisure travel has seen a significant increase following recent geopolitical developments, with rising interest in monsoon retreats, spiritual journeys, and wellness-focused getaways as travellers seek more meaningful experiences.' As per Cleartrip's travel trends tracker, PeekABoo, airfares between metro cities and popular tourist destinations are averaging between Rs 6000 - Rs 7000, holding steady with no major increase. Hotel rates, however, are averaging Rs 5000 - Rs 6000 which is higher than last year. Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip said that Independence Day has emerged as a key travel occasion over the years and this year too, the search and booking trends point to strong intent to travel over the weekend. 'With Independence Day on a Friday, travel demand, appears to be peaking two days earlier, on Wednesday, 13th August, giving early travellers a five-day window,' stated Magow. According to the country's largest online travel platform, Goa, Udaipur, Coorg, Mahabaleshwar, Ooty, and Pondicherry are some of the most trending domestic cities. International destinations such as Pattaya, Bali, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Zurich and London are in high demand,