Typical summer sales bump misses Jordan’s brick-and-mortar apparel sector

Typical summer sales bump misses Jordan’s brick-and-mortar apparel sector

AMMAN — Several major factors are continuing to hinder the local apparel sector, preventing the summer sales bump typical of the sector, stakeholders say. “Warmer weather did not boost sales at apparel stores and did not encourage many shoppers to bounce back into malls and shopping centres to buy new clothes,” President of the Textile, Readymade Clothes and Footwear Syndicate Sultan Allan told The Jordan Times. High sales taxes, an increase in online shopping, continuous shifts in consumer spending and the highly competitive nature of the apparel business have all contributed to clothing sales at physical locations being dragged down, Allan said. Noting the significant increase in Jordan’s tourist traffic, Allan pointed out the importance of creating a tax-free shopping experience for visitors, which would “help the local apparel sector by increasing sales volume”. Currently, a significant number of shops in commercial centres and malls are offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on all store items or selected collections to encourage people, particularly those visiting from abroad, to make purchases, he added. Clothing boutique owner Hala Abdullah told The Jordan Times that she has not seen as many customers as usual this summer, noting that “sales have decreased