Wholesalers make sales worth Rs 24 lakh per day

Low-priced PVC shoes dominate Kashmir winter market

13 November

As the winter is ready to set its feet in the Valley, it is time to put in some extra preparation and buying warm shoes is on top of the preparation list.
 

With sandals and flip flops already out of fashion due to biting cold, people particularly with weaker economic background and the village community are moving to their preferred choice, PVC shoes. These shoes not only cost very little as compared to other footwear but also provide protection from the chilling winters.  
 

And it is this essential need that wholesalers and consignee agents here are cashing with supplying these shoes worth cores of rupees.
 

These days, wholesalers dealing with PVC shoes, for both men and women, are thronged by retail shopkeepers from across the Valley to buy the PVC winter footwear.
 

With more than six main wholesalers based in Srinagar’s Batamaloo area, they say that their daily sales to other districts touch Rs 4 lakh for each during this time. “We are the main distributors of these shoes and dealers and shopkeepers from across the Valley enquire and buy from us. These dealers based in other districts want to maintain a sufficient stock before snowfall,” said Firdous Khan, a distributor based in main market Batamaloo.
 

He said the majority of the dealers come from other districts particularly from north Kashmir and south Kashmir.
 

According to the dealers there are several PVC shoe-making companies but among all, Madaan and Apex, two Delhi based shoe companies top the list.
 

“Our range for men starts from Rs 135 to Rs 250 and for the women it starts from Rs 120 to Rs 300,” said another dealer from the same area, Mehraj Majeed.
 

Majeed added that the shoes available there have variety of designs and are in different colors. Most of the PVC shoes exported to the Valley come from Delhi.
 

“They have been made in a very nominal structure and had very high demand among the rural folk of the Valley. Very few from the Srinagar use PVC shoes,” Majeed said.
 

“For women we have a special variety of shoes this year. Besides we offer our customers strong and stylish footwear, perfect for winters. People prefer our products because, we offer a variety of designs that too on very nominal price when compared to other shoes available in the market.”
 

The dealers predict a peak season when Valley will receive it first snowfall. “As of now we only provide our customers simple PVC shoes but after 15 days we would be introducing fur lined shoes. These shoes keep your feet warm in chilling winters,” said another dealer Fayaz Ahmed.