Mooncake market “gloomy” after storm No. 10

Due to the impact of storm No. 10, the moon cake market in Ha Tinh was disrupted. However, right after the storm passed, the market resumed operations in some areas. According to records, on streets in Ha Tinh such as Phan Dinh Phung, Ha Huy Tap, Nguyen Huy Tu... the cake stalls were open again but with few customers.

The number of customers buying moon cakes at the counters is only sparse.

Mr. Hoang Kim Nga - manager of the Omeli cake stall on Phan Dinh Phung Street (Thanh Sen Ward) said: "This year, the Omeli stall invested nearly 1 billion VND in goods. Before storm No. 10, purchasing power was quite good, selling an average of over ten million VND per day. The past few days, due to the storm, the cake stall had to close for 3 days. Right after the storm, we put up a tarpaulin to sell again, but not many people came to buy, the revenue was only about 1-2 million VND/day."

The Omeli cake stand has just been rebuilt after the storm to serve customers.

More than two hours have passed but the Huu Nghi cake stall on Nguyen Huy Tu Street (Thanh Sen Ward) has only one customer coming to buy. Ms. Phan Thi Thuy - a staff member of the cake stall shared: "There are only 3 days left until the full moon festival but the number of cakes is still large. Purchasing power has decreased by more than half compared to before the storm. Most of the customers stop by to ask for prices, look for information and then leave."

Choosing to buy a box of moon cakes for her grandchildren, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Huyen (Cam Xuyen commune) shared: "In previous years, I often bought them early and chose many flavors for my grandchildren. This year, due to storms and floods, my family had to save money to repair the house, so we didn't buy as many as before."

Ms. Huyen can refer to the moon cake price list at Huu Nghi cake stall on Nguyen Huy Tu street.

Not only long-standing brands are facing difficulties, new brands appearing in the Ha Tinh market are also being heavily affected. Slow consumption and weak purchasing power have made many stall owners worried when the amount of imported cakes is still quite large.

Ms. Pham Doan Ha Thu - manager of Chamcham cake stall on Phan Dinh Phung street (Thanh Sen ward) confided: "This is the second year Chamcham mooncakes have been sold in Ha Tinh. This year the stall only imported about 1,000 pieces, the listed price is from 80,000 to 1,000,000 VND/cake depending on the weight and type of cake. In the days after the storm, the number of customers visiting the shop per day was no more than 10 people, mainly customers buying gifts."

As it is a seasonal business, Ms. Thu hopes that in the next few days, more customers will come to buy so that she can consume all the imported cakes.

While waiting for customers, Ms. Thu took the opportunity to arrange the cake counter neatly to attract customers.

Weak purchasing power is a common feature of the Mid-Autumn Festival market this year. According to shop owners, people buy cakes mainly as gifts, and very few buy cakes to eat.

Mooncake shop owners said that the recent storms and floods have made business difficult. Many volunteer groups, localities, agencies and units have announced to stop organizing the Mid-Autumn Festival, and reserve funds to buy necessities to support people to overcome the consequences of the storms and floods.

In addition to the unfavorable weather, there are also factors affecting the purchasing power of bakeries such as handmade cakes and cheap cakes flooding the Ha Tinh market.

In addition to the sharp decline in purchasing power at cake stalls, many catering and event organizers are also in a similar situation as the number of canceled orders has increased.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Thanh, owner of a Mid-Autumn Festival tray business on Cao Thang Street (Thanh Sen Ward, Ha Tinh), said that since last month, she has received orders from 100 organizations and units to prepare trays for the Mid-Autumn Festival for children. However, by yesterday, the number of canceled orders had reached 90, and the remaining 10 units had also reduced the number of trays to a minimum.

"The estimated cost of importing ingredients to make the tray of food is about 20 million. Although the products are not selling well, I feel very happy because it is the right thing to do, showing the solidarity of all people. Therefore, I returned all deposits to the units that canceled the orders," Ms. Hong Thanh shared.

The severe impact of storm No. 10 has caused a decline in the purchasing power of moon cakes, making it difficult for many mid-autumn businesses to meet expectations like every year. However, many shop owners still hope for a recovery in the days leading up to Tet, considering this an opportunity to revive morale after the natural disaster and maintain a beautiful traditional cultural feature in people's lives.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/thi-truong-banh-trung-thu-am-dam-sau-bao-so-10-post296788.html