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Peace brings business boom during festive season

by Ananda Kannangara

The peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the country has not only brought that festive cheer to shoppers but brought good revenues to shopkeepers and payment hawkers alike. A recent survey shows that this year's. Christmas season has been the best for businessmen when compared with the past.

Almost all shops and temporally erected business stalls at Fort, Kollupitiya, Bambalapitiya, Town Hall, Borella, Rajagiriya and Maradana were kept open till late night during the whole Christmas week to give an opportunity to the public for their last minute shopping.

Gemunu Wimalasiri a toy shop owner in the Malwatta Street, Pettah said that the peaceful environment in the city greatly assisted all shop owners to open up their shops until 9 pm.

K. Subramaniam, a textile dealer at Main Street said that the bulk orders for readymade garments and clothing materials were received by him from Jaffna for the first time after several years,

"This shows the success of the current peace process," he said.

Nimal Pathiraja, a shop owner in Kollupitiya said that as there are no bomb explosions like in the previous years, many traders in the city were able to open their shops till late in the evening.

Meanwhile, it is reported that prominent textile shops at Town Hall and Kollupitiya had received a daily turn over of more than Rs. 900,000 each day.

Businessmen at Nugegoda, Maharagama, Wattala, Mt. Lavinia and Dehiwala also said that their daily turnover during this year's Christmas period had tremendously improved when compared with the corresponding periods in the past several years.

They are of the view that the peaceful atmosphere currently prevails in the country has immensely benefited them to do a brisk business.

When contacted, the Managers of several City cinema halls said that even additional shows were held during the Christmas week for the first time after several years.

"We were compelled to hold late night shows after a lapse of several years as people were on the streets even at 1 a.m., a few days prior to Christmas", a Manager of a cinema Hall at Borella said. 

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