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Santhosh Chandran
Doha
THE carpet shops at Souq Al-Haraj in Doha are struggling to survive as the demand for vinyl sheets, the common flooring material has steadily declined.
With old residential units in Doha having been replaced by multi-storied apartments, the long-time practice among expatriates of using rolling carpets to embellish the floors of their accommodation is also on its way out.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, manager of a carpet shop at Najma said,"People no longer use cheap carpets on the floors of their houses. Instead, they use branded tiles imported from different parts of the world to embellish the floors."
According to the vendors at Najma Souq, though the demand for vinyl flooring material has declined by 70 to 90 percent, using expensive carpets as a part of tradition is still prevalent among the elite class of population.
A manager of another carpet shop said,"We are going through difficult times. Our business has dropped drastically and we have reduced the number of our staff to cope with the situation. The days of the business are numbered because of the falling demand. The golden era of carpet business is over."
Not many years ago, even low-income people used vinyl sheets of different textures and designs to decorate their floors. It was used widely in partitioned houses to reduce the initial investment.
A salesman at a shop said,"We have been witness to the golden era of carpet business, when we sold 2,000 to 3,000 metres of carpet sheets every week. Today, we struggle to sell 50 metres even on our busiest days in the market."
A sales executive working in real estate sector said,"Carpet flooring has become outdated. It's rare to find people using carpets at their residences."
According to sources at the market, over 20 shops at Najma that dealt mainly in carpets, have already switched to other businesses.
