Satyendra Pathak
Doha
With the number of customers visiting Dragon Mart increasing by the day, the occupancy rate at Qatar’s first Chinese mall has reached almost 98 percent.
"The average monthly footfall at Dragon Mart has gone beyond 170,000 this year. It’s a huge increase compared to the previous years,” Dragon Mart Managing Director Qi Yang told Qatar Tribune
"Footfalls during festive seasons rise further. We received more than 200,000 visitors during the Holy Month of Ramadan this year. We are witnessing same number of visitors this Eid Al Adha festivities as well,” Yang said.
Such a high number of visitors at a shopping area of 16,000 sqm make Dragon Mart one of the top five busiest malls in Qatar, he said.
Rising number of customers has resulted in higher sales volume and higher occupancy at Dragon Mart, Yang said, adding that queue for renting shops especially at the ground floor of the mall has become longer.
Currently, more than 280 shops inside Dragon Mart are occupied.
As many as 80 quality Chinese firms have set up shops at the Dragon Mart to sell their branded products in Qatar, he said.
Attracting more visitors to the mall, Yang said, Dragon Mart is one of the first malls in Qatar to introduce 2358 fast fashion shop.
"The new 2358 fast fashion shop, which offers best quality general Chinese merchandise at cheap prices, has become an instant hit with Qatari customers,” he said.
"Many families in Qatar have shifted from buying expensive household items from branded shops to purchasing reasonably priced quality Chinese items at our mall. As shoppers in Qatar have become more cautious, they want quality items at reasonable prices. This is where Dragon Mart fits in,” Yang said.
Yang said that most shops at the mall have reported good profit during due to rise in number of customers.
While almost 90 percent products sold at Dragon Mart are made in China, he said, rest of the products are from regional countries like Syria and others.
Opening of a number of cafes and food outlet inside the mall has also made Dragon Mart one of the most popular malls in Qatar, he said.
Commenting on the recent sharp slide in the Chinese currency, he said, "Yuan’s slide has gone in favour of Chinese firms at Dragon Mart as imports from China to Qatar have become cheaper. Now, they have to pay less for importing same volume of products than earlier.”
Yang, however, said that it won’t continue for more than six months as prices in Chine would adjust according to the slide in the currency.
Yang said that Dragon Mart has also become a focal point for traders dealing in Chinese products outside of the mall in Qatar.
"We are the only platform of its kind in Qatar with a direct link with manufactures and businesses in China. We provide logistics support to such traders in bringing Chinese products to Qatar,” he said.
Doha
With the number of customers visiting Dragon Mart increasing by the day, the occupancy rate at Qatar’s first Chinese mall has reached almost 98 percent.
"The average monthly footfall at Dragon Mart has gone beyond 170,000 this year. It’s a huge increase compared to the previous years,” Dragon Mart Managing Director Qi Yang told Qatar Tribune
"Footfalls during festive seasons rise further. We received more than 200,000 visitors during the Holy Month of Ramadan this year. We are witnessing same number of visitors this Eid Al Adha festivities as well,” Yang said.
Such a high number of visitors at a shopping area of 16,000 sqm make Dragon Mart one of the top five busiest malls in Qatar, he said.
Rising number of customers has resulted in higher sales volume and higher occupancy at Dragon Mart, Yang said, adding that queue for renting shops especially at the ground floor of the mall has become longer.
Currently, more than 280 shops inside Dragon Mart are occupied.
As many as 80 quality Chinese firms have set up shops at the Dragon Mart to sell their branded products in Qatar, he said.
Attracting more visitors to the mall, Yang said, Dragon Mart is one of the first malls in Qatar to introduce 2358 fast fashion shop.
"The new 2358 fast fashion shop, which offers best quality general Chinese merchandise at cheap prices, has become an instant hit with Qatari customers,” he said.
"Many families in Qatar have shifted from buying expensive household items from branded shops to purchasing reasonably priced quality Chinese items at our mall. As shoppers in Qatar have become more cautious, they want quality items at reasonable prices. This is where Dragon Mart fits in,” Yang said.
Yang said that most shops at the mall have reported good profit during due to rise in number of customers.
While almost 90 percent products sold at Dragon Mart are made in China, he said, rest of the products are from regional countries like Syria and others.
Opening of a number of cafes and food outlet inside the mall has also made Dragon Mart one of the most popular malls in Qatar, he said.
Commenting on the recent sharp slide in the Chinese currency, he said, "Yuan’s slide has gone in favour of Chinese firms at Dragon Mart as imports from China to Qatar have become cheaper. Now, they have to pay less for importing same volume of products than earlier.”
Yang, however, said that it won’t continue for more than six months as prices in Chine would adjust according to the slide in the currency.
Yang said that Dragon Mart has also become a focal point for traders dealing in Chinese products outside of the mall in Qatar.
"We are the only platform of its kind in Qatar with a direct link with manufactures and businesses in China. We provide logistics support to such traders in bringing Chinese products to Qatar,” he said.