Dhaka: With less than a week left for Eid-ul-Fitr, shoppers have started crowding shopping malls and makeshift shops in the city bringing smile to the faces of traders.

As the land of growing middle and upper-middle classes, Dhaka always witnesses higher spending for any occasion or festival, compared to the other parts of the country.

The spending usually takes a hike ahead of Eid festival. And in continuation with the tradition, preparations for Eid shopping among both traders and consumers had started much before the beginning of Ramadan.

All the traditional and new shopping malls in the city -- New Market, Gawsia, Mouchak, Chadni Chawk, Shimanto Square, Bashundhara City, Jamuna Future Park and others -- wore a festive look with huge stocks of dresses and fashion products.

A number of shop owners at Dhanmondi's Rapa Plaza told UNB that women's items like saree, salwar-kamiz, shoes, cosmetics and other fashion products along with dresses of kids are in top sale lists till the last night of Ramadan.

Young girls are showing interest in fashionable foreign-made three-pieces named after popular Hindi drama serials and even the premium designs which are designed by famous local fashion houses.

The much-hyped silk-stitched kurta-styled 'Bahubali Panjabi' and 'Sultan Suleiman' for men and last year's Kironmala, Boumoni styled saris are still in demand for women of all ages. Even the ludicrously titled 'Katappa' kurta is in much demand at posh departmental stores such as Almas and Jusco Fashions, charging a whopping range from Tk 3,000-25,000 a piece.

"A positive sign is that more women are buying locally-made Jamdani, Katan and cotton sarees than costlier foreign ones, although we've huge collection of famous brand foreign shares," an owner of a cloth store at Old Town's Islampur said.

Market watchers said Jamdani sharees with a variety of designs are being sold at prices ranging from Tk 4,000 to Tk 30,000 per piece, apple silk from Tk 6,000 to Tk 18,000, mega katan from Tk 5,000 to Tk 13,000, chiffon with stitch work from Tk 6000 to Tk 12,000 while different types of sharees with stone and fashion work were selling at Tk 5000 to Tk 50,000 per piece.

Shop owners said saree, readymade and non-stitched salwar-kamiz, three-pieces were either imported or smuggled into the country from India and Pakistan, while dresses, including shirts, trousers, shoes and t-shirts for children, were imported from China, Thailand and India. On the other hand, cosmetics, gold and stone-made ornaments were brought from India and Thailand that have been dominating the Eid market.

Buyers alleged that shop owners have been demanding unusual high prices for foreign products as there is no unified price and regulation over the market price.

However, Morshedul Alam, owner of Papa Fabrics at Ahsan Manzil Super Market, disagreed with the allegation saying that prices of sarees, selwar-kamiz and other Eid-related products in this year's market are justified if they are compared with the unusual price hikes of other essential commodities in the market. "Our target is to sell goods as quick as possible and clear out our stocks before Eid with minimum profit," he said.

He also blamed the high mark-up charged by their Indian brethren, especially the ones in Kolkata, owners of Kolkata New Market's Roop Milan, Adi Mohini Mohan Kanjilal and other premium brands, who charged a lot more than they usually do for the sake of Eid.

"To compensate for such high prices, even men's wear from Kolkata's Spark Gear is charging exorbitant prices, which gets even more expensive in Dhaka after customs and other tax charges. We have to resort to China who are now providing similar quality of fabrics at affordable prices, as compared to India's Grasim, Raymond's, Reid & Tailor's, etc."

Syed Khurshid Alam, General Secretary of the New Market Businessmen Association, said China is slowly taking over the wholesale fabric market, giving their Indian counterparts a run for their money. "This is good for us, as their fabrics are also being used by local premium brands such as Top Ten, Knight, Ferdous and other big-shots."

"Similarly", he added, "Our local retail fashion entrepreneurs are slowly emulating Pakistani lawn designs using local fabrics, reducing prices to a great extent and making it more affordable for consumers. Hopefully, this Eid will not put pressure on the middle-class income."