Restaurants see ‘boom’ in sales during Ramadan — stakeholder

AMMAN — Purchasing power and demand on foodstuff have declined “early”, seeing a near 50 per cent drop from the first week of Ramadan until now, according to Chairman of Amman Chamber of Commerce Khalil Hajj Tawfiq.

Hajj Tawfiq told The Jordan Times that the demand for foodstuff has decreased since the fourth day of Ramadan, which is earlier compared with other years.

“The demand dropped too early in shops this year, as this usually starts after the first week of Ramadan,” Hajj Tawfiq said during an interview on Monday.

Hajj Tawfiq said that demand for foodstuff will continue to drop “year after year” due to the rise in prices and living costs, while salaries remain stable. 

“If there is no change in the salaries, we will continue to witness increasing recessions in the markets. Price indicators for the upcoming months do not indicate any reductions due to the Ukrainian-Russian crisis, the rise in oil prices, the decline in countries’ production and many other reasons,” he said.

It is expected that the current stagnation will remain, and continue after Ramadan, as well as during the period between Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, Hajj Tawfiq noted.

“It will be a difficult period, as Ramadan and eid drain the income of Jordanian families, in addition to the summer season, as many occasions take place such as weddings, graduations and much more,” he added.

Ahmed Qasrawi, a supermarket owner in Amman’s Marj Al Hamam neighbourhood, confirmed that the demand has “significantly dropped” since the beginning of the holy month.

“Every day we sell less and less, and it has not been the same as the previous years, even during the lockdown, as I believe people had more time to make more food and sweets then,” Qasrawi told The Jordan Times on Monday.

Despite the demand slowdown, this year’s Ramadan sales have still increased compared with last year, Hajj Tawfiq said, noting that sales have increased 60 to 100 per cent (depending on different areas). 

He said these increases are largely due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the cancelling of lockdowns, as well as the holy month coinciding with salaries.

Faris Al Azzam, a sales manager in a restaurant in Amman, said that they have been fully booked for iftar almost every day during Ramadan.

“After two years of struggling with COVID-19, we are finally witnessing a boom in our work. This year’s demand has been great, people are having family gatherings in restaurants instead of their houses, as well as business iftars and so on,” Azzam told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Azzam indicated that the restaurants sector “needed” this boost after losing so much over the past two years, “we are happy to see life back to normal and we are looking forward to eid as well,” he concluded.