New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) The sale of Commonwealth Games merchandise may have begun late, but it has been selling like hot cakes within a day of its launch, with vuvuzelas being the most sought after in an eclectic mix.
An initial range of 25 items has been introduced in the run-up to the Oct 3-14 Games and the response, the organisers say, has been ‘overwhelming’.
Within hours of its opening Thursday, the maiden merchandising outlet at the Organising Committee headquarters did a business of a whopping Rs.1,04,000. Friday afternoon, the outlet was teaming with people and sold items worth Rs.78,000.
‘We are delighted by the response. We wanted to gauge the response of people in the first two days and it has surpassed our expectations. The response has been overwhelming and the items are fast disappearing,’ Vikas Arora, Brand Executive, Premier Brands, told IANS.
‘Though everything in our stores has recorded a good sale, it is the vuvuzelas which are the most in demand.
‘We had only 20 pieces of vuvuzelas with us yesterday and they were sold within minutes. Coloured coffee mugs, caps, T-shirts, badges are the other things in demand.’
The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Thursday launched the official merchandise after missing several deadlines.
The Games’ merchandise includes branded sportswear like T-shirts, jackets, casual wear, kids apparels; collectibles; stationery; generic items like umbrellas, key-chains, mugs, refrigerator magnets etc.; accessories like caps, bags, wristbands; lifestyle and luxury products as well as cultural and handicraft items.
The delay in the merchandise launch has affected the profits but Arora says they are no longer doing business.
‘Of course, we had expected to earn close to Rs.15-20 crore from the merchandise and now that can’t be because of the delayed start. We know we won’t be able to reach that target. But we are not bothered by it.
‘It is no longer a business for us. We want every citizen of India to be part of the Games and the merchandise is one way of ensuring that. And with such an overwhelming response, we are sure to at least break even,’ Arora said, adding that the online sales of the product will also begin soon.
The persistent delays in the launch had forced Premier Brands, the official merchandising and licensing partner of the Games, to pull out of the contract before they were wooed back into reconciliation.
Suresh Kumar, chairman, Premier Brands Pvt. Ltd. said while he is delighted by the strong response, it is too early to announce it a success.
‘To be frank, it has just been a day and we can realistically assess our sales only after seven to eight days. Whenever there is something new, the interest is maximum in the initial days, it is only after that can we know the real picture,’ Kumar told IANS.
‘We are not concerned with the profits, we have kept no profit targets. We want people to be related to Games. We will be opening stores wherever the Organising Committee will ask us to. For now we have been asked to open one at the Games media village.’
Around 5-6 new merchandising outlets will soon be set up across Delhi NCR in the coming days. Over 60 stores will be opened at all the Games venues.
There will also be four mobile stores or ‘Shops on Wheels’ which will go to schools, corporate offices, major residential societies, shopping areas and other public places.
