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After a prolonged dry spell in education accessories sale, books and stationery outlets are now abuzz with customers, thereby seeing a jump in sales as schools and colleges have resumed their operations.
The book stores and stationery outlets are witnessing their typical sales as were evident prior to the pandemic.
The students accompanied by their parents were seen thronging such places as Nilkhet Islamia book market to get hold of academic materials.
Talking to The Business Post, Borhan Rabbani, marketing officer of Nilkhet Boi Biponi, said: “Our sale has gone up as a raft of customers is turning up after the government reopened educational institutions across the country.”
“Not only students but also other government jobseekers are visiting our store and buying various books.”
Nayem Uddin Nipu, a salesperson of Confidence Library at Nilkhet, echoed the same as Rabbani.
“We are getting a very positive response from customers and are happy with our sale. Customers, particularly students from schools and colleges, are visiting our outlet in droves,” said a happy Nipu.
Shamim Hossain, a student of Government Bangla College, told this correspondent that the prices of education accessories are comparatively low in this place.
“I came to buy some books and stationery which I usually do from Nilkhet,” he added.
Like Shamim, many a student has started visiting the book market and other areas in the capital to buy books and academic accessories.
The business insiders claimed that the demand for books and stationery items such as punching machines, notepads, pencil sharpeners, pencil cases, erasers, staplers, pens, Pencils, document holders and geometry boxes is shooting up.
Md Kamal Hossain, proprietor of Asia Books and Stationery at Mirpur-1, said: “Our business was badly affected when all academia were shut, but after reopening it has got back to old sound footing. The sale is satisfactory and will increase more within the next few days.”
Earlier on September 12, students of primary, secondary and higher secondary levels returned to classrooms across the country after a tedious long gap due to the ongoing pandemic.
On September 11, Education Minister Dipu Moni said the educational institutions will be shut again if the Covid-19 infection rate goes up.
On September 10, Health Minister Zahid Maleque also hinted that schools and colleges would be closed if the coronavirus infection rises.
The government shuttered all educational institutions on March 17 last year to halt the spread of Covid-19.
The global book market size was valued at $ 132.1 billion in 2020 which is anticipated to reach $ 159.3 billion by 2028.
Besides, the market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.4 per cent from 2021 to 2028, according to the report published in September 2021 by Grand View Research, an India and US- based market research and consulting company.
The increasing consumer spending on books supported by rising incomes and interest as well as continued innovations in the format enhanced the overall reading experience, thus boosting the market, cited the report.
According to the IMARC, a market research company, the global school stationery supplies market reached a value of $ 85.5 billion in 2020.
Looking forward, IMARC Group also expects the market to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 4 per cent during 2021-2026.
Sales prospects for the stationery market is projected to outstrip $ 30 billion with a growth rate of 4 per cent from 2021-2031, according to Fact.MR- a market research and competitive intelligence provider.
In 2020, Asia and North America combined captured 60-62 per cent of the market share for stationery, and is predicted to continue their dominance in the forthcoming years, cited the report.
