324 words
Kandoora Capers.
The Ramadan month in this part of the world means lower work hours for most employees. There are a few select businesses that are at their peak during this period.
Sitting behind his desk at the Al Hashmi Diplomat Trading in Deira, Mr ACM ticks off the delivery sheet data for the day, checks his consignment reports, makes a few phone calls and smiles contentedly. “People generally tend to spend more around Ramadan, resulting in higher sales turnover. As much as 50 per cent of our annual revenue comes in at Ramadan” says Mr ACM who has helped build the company from scratch. They have come a long way from their humble origins thirty years ago, the then tiny shop in the Al Ra’a Street of the old Gold Market now serves as the main headquarters of this flourishing men’s wear business.
This Sales executive is interrupted by a phone call from their retail outlet in Sharjah. Al Hashmi is the sole distributor of the Diplomat brand of arab clothing in the UAE. Their products include the dishdasha, the embroidered coats, keffiyeh, the agal, the tagiyah as well as the traditional arab cane. “People who observe Ramadan choose this time of spiritual purity to deck themselves in new clothing.” He says happily. In the early days we used to cater exclusively to arab households who bought cloth in bulk to outfit every male member of the family. Today a full blown wholesale distributor, he exports ready made garments to Indonesia and Korea.
As the clock hands near 6:30 pm, he packs up, making a last few phone calls. “The shop closes at Iftaar”, he explains, “only to reopen at 8 pm. We work overtime during Ramadan often closing shop in the wee hours of the morning. I don’t get to see my family for this month as I sleep in the office on most days. “ he sighs, but its the sigh of a satisfied man.
Sitting behind his desk at the Al Hashmi Diplomat Trading in Deira, Mr ACM ticks off the delivery sheet data for the day, checks his consignment reports, makes a few phone calls and smiles contentedly. “People generally tend to spend more around Ramadan, resulting in higher sales turnover. As much as 50 per cent of our annual revenue comes in at Ramadan” says Mr ACM who has helped build the company from scratch. They have come a long way from their humble origins thirty years ago, the then tiny shop in the Al Ra’a Street of the old Gold Market now serves as the main headquarters of this flourishing men’s wear business.
This Sales executive is interrupted by a phone call from their retail outlet in Sharjah. Al Hashmi is the sole distributor of the Diplomat brand of arab clothing in the UAE. Their products include the dishdasha, the embroidered coats, keffiyeh, the agal, the tagiyah as well as the traditional arab cane. “People who observe Ramadan choose this time of spiritual purity to deck themselves in new clothing.” He says happily. In the early days we used to cater exclusively to arab households who bought cloth in bulk to outfit every male member of the family. Today a full blown wholesale distributor, he exports ready made garments to Indonesia and Korea.
As the clock hands near 6:30 pm, he packs up, making a last few phone calls. “The shop closes at Iftaar”, he explains, “only to reopen at 8 pm. We work overtime during Ramadan often closing shop in the wee hours of the morning. I don’t get to see my family for this month as I sleep in the office on most days. “ he sighs, but its the sigh of a satisfied man.
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