Rakshabandhan turned out to be a truly festive occasion for sweet shops in Ahmedabad with a reported 20% to 25% surge in the sale of sweets this year during the festival.
The jump in sales compared to last year is due to Covid-19 being under control which made people comfortable about moving out and shopping for family and friends.
Jay Sharma, Director, Gwalia Sweets said there is a 25% rise in the sale of sweets this Rakshabandhan compared to the last two years as people rise above fear of Covid.
Gwalia has around 14 branches in Ahmedabad.
“Traditional sweets like Motichoor Ke Ladoo, Rasgulla, Kaju Katli, milk cake and Peda were the hot selling ones this festival.”
Those in the business said most customers prefer boxes of 250 grams to 500 gms of sweets.
Ashwin Mehta, senior member of Ahmedabad Mithai, Farsaan, Dudh and Mava Vepari Mahajan said customers usually buy in smaller quantities of 250 to 500 grams as sisters have to buy sweets for all their brothers including cousins.
“He said sales of traditional sweets are positive compared to the last couple of years. Chocolate packs, homemade chocolates and bakery items like pastries and cakes also account for 30% market share,” said Mehta.
Those in the know said rain on the day of Rakshabandhan and a day before dampened the celebrations.
As per pandits, the muhurat (auspicious time) this Rakshabandhan was also limited so many families did not celebrate it.
Kamlesh Kandoi, owner of Kandoi Bhogilal Mulchand, a premium sweetshop said demand for Kaju Katli and various types of Penda was high this festival followed by other sweets made of dry fruits. Zero sugar sweets were also in demand.
When asked to share sales figures, he said, “It will be difficult to share the exact sales figures but it was positive.”