Businesses say they have taken steps to stock up on products
Taken from Diario Libre
SANTO DOMINGO. - For several years now, Dominican businesses have adopted a celebration that is part of American culture: Black Friday . It's a shopping period during which stores, throughout November in the Dominican Republic, offer discounts on some of their products.
But the current holiday shopping season is being impacted by the global supply problem caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is causing delays in global shipping, especially from China to the rest of the world.
However, local businesses, including major stores and retail groups, claim they have enough merchandise in their warehouses to meet the demand for Black Friday and end-of-year sales.
“Although there have been delays, we have been able to bring in a large assortment to offer our customers,” said Carlos Luis Quiñones, commercial director of Plaza Lama.
Quiñones explained that to avoid being affected by supply chain problems, caused by factors including container shortages, port closures, and a lack of ships, they sought alternative supply options and purchased supplies in advance.
“We stocked up well in advance, and we also explored options like Mexico and Colombia, which have large industries. This way, we can continue to offer our customers highly competitive prices,” the executive stated.
Plaza Lama, La Sirena, Jumbo, Casa Cuesta, Cecomsa, Tiendas Corripio, and telephone companies, among others, have been promoting discounts on their products since the beginning of November. Black Friday is scheduled for the 26th of this month.
In the case of the Centro Cuesta Nacional (CCN) group, it noted that to minimize the impact caused by delays in maritime transport they have taken a series of actions.
“We typically plan well in advance for Black Friday to ensure merchandise availability, and we have enough inventory to cover both dates, even in the home appliance category, which is the most popular for that time of year,” the group stated.
In the first half of 2021, the trade sector showed a growth of 10.3%, influenced by a year-on-year variation of 16.7% in the second quarter, higher than the 4.2% of January-March of the current year, according to the report on the Dominican economy January-June 2021, prepared by the Central Bank.
This performance was associated with the increase in commercial activity following the gradual dismantling of prevention measures against the spread of the coronavirus, such as the relaxation of curfew hours and the reopening of some commercial establishments, the document adds.
Similarly, Grupo Ramos, which owns Tiendas La Sirena, reported that for both seasons (Black Friday and the end-of-year sales) they received most of their shipments, so they have enough merchandise to meet the purchase demand of their customers.
“The product shortage has impacted all businesses across the country, but we have been able to cope thanks to our planning and supply processes. Ensuring supplies in all our stores is very important to us. We make sure we have enough of the items we feature in our sales or promotional flyers so that customers can get the product they want,” he added.
Grupo Ramos emphasized that they plan the provision of merchandise well in advance in order to minimize potential shortages in stores.
