Khadi outlets pin hopes on Gandhi Jayanti discounts

They are banking on the annual 10-40 per cent discounts to bring customers back in a slack year

Khadi outlets are decked up and ready with their annual Gandhi Jayanti discounts, ranging from 10 to 40 per cent.

This has been a dismal business year and store owners hope the discounts will bring customers back in big numbers.

Shantanu Garg, who owns Khadi Bhandar outlets in Chickpet (opposite Vijayalakshmi Theatre), VR Mall, Inorbit Mall and GT Mall, says the biggest discounts are on khadi items like dhotis and shirts. Sales go up in October at least four-fold, but Garg is unsure about this year. “Only 25 percent of our pre-Covid-19 volumes are back,” he says.

Khadi Bhandar, Banashankari 3rd Stage, is offering discounts of 10 per cent on handloom items, 20 on silk and woollen items, and 40 on khadi kurtas, dhotis, shirts, towels and fabrics. “People are not stepping out much. We hope sales pick up,” says staffer Rajappa.

An outlet in Elements Mall, Thanisandra Road, has discounts on stoles and shawls. During this discount season every year, sales usually go up by 30 per cent, but owner Ashu Gupta is unsure about this year.

“The footfalls at malls are low. People are buying only F&B items outside, and many have shifted to online shopping,” he says.

Khadi Bhandar, Nagarabhavi, has blankets and bedsheets also on discount. “But the most popular items are usually shirts and kurtas,” owner Santhosh Kumar says.

Others ready

Khadi Nation, which has nine branches in the city, markets khadi and handloom items.

Naresh Nagaraj, president of the organisation, says, “The discounts go on till December 31 on clothing. It is a 90-day rebate subsidised by the government.”

In his experience, sales go up 10 times during the season, but this year, he only expects pre-pandemic sales to be restored by December.

The Desi Khadi, Jayanagar 4th Block, used to average 100 customers a day, as compared to 10 to 15 now.

At Jai Hind Khadi Bhandar, BDA Complex, Banashankari 2nd Stage, the most popular items are kurtas, sarees, towels and bedsheets. “Many shop for fabric for stitching later,” says owner Mohan Raj.

Business is at 25 per cent of what it used to be before March, and he hopes the discounts will bring customers back.