By: Nana Kwame Bediako
The Christmas season this year has had some ups and downs for traders in the Abensu locality of Accra. According to traders, members of the locality, have shifted their preference of purchasing items from the locality to other areas due to the Christmas euphoria.
Abensu over the years, has become a place of stagnant during the yuletide as majority of the residence troop out to celebrate with their family and friends, rather than celebrating in the locality.
As people prepare to welcome the new year, some traders expressed their thoughts on how well their businesses have performed since the beginning of the year 2023 and its current situation in the festive season.
Josephine Anima Boateng, who has a supermarket gave some insights on how her business has grown this year and how the festive season has also made a significant impact on her business sales this year, compared to last year’s sales.
“Business has been good as compared to last year. During this Christmas season, our sales have increased, when we compare this year’s Christmas sales to last year’s Christmas sales. Customers this year have mainly shifted their focus on the purchase of school items due to senior high school students returning to school in January, 2024”; said Josephine Anima Boateng
Other supermarket owners in the Abensu locality did not share the same sentiment as Josephine. Francis Botwey, who is also a trader expressed his dissatisfaction on the slow purchase of items from his supermarket.
“This year Christmas sales haven’t been good at all, as purchasing has gone down. Business was booming before the Christmas season started but it has eventually dropped as the holiday season approached. We are sometimes forced to close early due to the low turn out in purchasing items”; said Francis Botwey.
He was however hopeful that the new year will bring in more sales and customers so that his business will expand.
