Rain gear sales increase with heavy downpour

It is the time of the year, when umbrellas and raincoats find a prominent place for everyone stepping out of their homes. As rains have been lashing the city since early this week and with rains predicted for the next few days, shopkeepers selling rain gear are ready to make hay, while it rains.

Suresh M. Shah, manager of Ebrahim Currim and Sons in Parry’s, a store with more than a century old legacy, says that the shop has been selling close to 4,000-5,000 umbrellas every day. “Since, people know our shop, they come exclusively looking for our collection. As always, we have a variety of umbrellas to offer consumers and they are all fast-moving,” he says.

Some of the varieties available are children’s umbrellas in various patterns and designs of cartoon characters, two-fold and three-fold umbrellas and the age-old thatha umbrella. Joonus Sait &Sons, a shop for end-to-end winter wear and rain gear, is all set for rain harvest, which is expected to peak by end of this month. Usman Sait, proprietor and fourth-generation businessman of the 108-year-old store, says that there has been a steady sale. “I will not say this is the peak, we have to wait for a while for a surge in sales. I except at least more than 50 per cent of the usual sales happening during the rainy season,” he says.

With raincoats starting from Rs 400, prices go up to Rs 2,000. The range include Duckback, Real and Reliable rainwear. Sait adds that after schools declared holidays due to rains, the crowds increased at his store on Friday. “A large crowd of parents came to buy rainwear for children and rain suits for themselves,” he added.

Like the old shops, Wildcraft , a store selling travel gear and rain wear has seen a demand for rain jackets. A store manager at one of its outlets, in Anna Nagar, says, “We have been seeing an increasing demand for rain jackets over the last few days, but we will know the exact surge only in a few days.” He adds that most of the buyers are two-wheeler riders.