Bangalore: The Kerala floods appear to have dampened the Onam spirit, with shopkeepers praying for sunnier days that would encourage customers to spend big to celebrate the state's topmost festival.
"There's a dip in Onam sales," said Satheendran, proprietor of Sindur Textiles in Kalpetta, district headquarters in Wayanad.
Onam falls on August 25 but the celebrations begin 10 days earlier. In normal years, the sales tend to pick up at least 10 days before the celebrations start, Satheendran said. "But that isn't happening this year."
State planning board member K.N. Harilal acknowledged the problem but felt there was sufficient time left.
"People living in the flood-hit areas may find it difficult to splurge on the festival since they already face the expenses of repairing their damaged properties," he told The Telegraph on Saturday.
"But the rain seems to be reducing. Once people overcome this crisis, their tendency to celebrate festivals will take over and the sales should gather pace."
Two of the biggest international chains of apparels and gold jewellery have already witnessed a slide in sales in Kerala this season.
A senior executive with a leading apparel chain, who did not wish to be named, said it was too early to estimate whether the floods would curb the eventual sales figures.
"Last Onam we did good sales in spite of the lingering impact of the demonetisation. But I cannot see such mobility yet this year," he said.
A sizeable chunk of the apparel chain's Onam and Christmas customers come from Idukki and Wayanad, two of the worst-hit districts.
"Urban (big city) customers are spending quite a bit but we cannot do without customers from the smaller towns as they buy in bulk for large families," the executive said.
An official with a Kozhikode-based gold jewellery chain said: "We are present even in the smaller towns but the sales have not really picked up so far." He added: "It's hard to say whether the end result would be below par. But I see a change in buying habits which could be because people whose properties have been damaged in the floods would rather spend on repairs than buy gold."
Bangalore-based brand consultant Harish Bijoor said Onam used to provide the market for launching consumer goods.
"Onam sales are still the barometer for certain types of products such as apparel and gold, as Malayalis spend a lot on these stuff during the festival," Bijoor told this newspaper.
"Once Onam used to be the time to buy things like scooters and cars. That has changed since people buy them at any time now."
Bijoor suggested that the flood situation might not hold back the wealthier Malayalis from shopping vigorously for the festival.
"Plenty of Malayali expatriates would really open their wallets for their families and friends, he said. "Instead of carrying back ill-fitting clothes from overseas, they prefer to buy the best of products in Kerala."
He agreed that the floods could affect sales in the smaller towns and the worst-hit areas. "People from small towns who usually head to the cities to make their purchases might be hesitant this time," he said.
