HCM City (VNS/VNA) - There was a surge in sales at supermarkets andshopping malls during the four-day New Year holiday.

Many supermarkets said thenumber of shoppers had increased by two or three times compared to normal days.

They increased stocks of products usually in high demand during holidays suchas fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat, semi-processed and ready-to-eat foods,frozen foods, and soft drinks.

Though many also increased the number of check-out counters, the large numberof customers meant long queues.

Some supermarkets ran out of fresh foods. A spokesperson for Saigon Co.op saidduring the New Year holiday, customer numbers at Co.opmart, Co.opXtra andCo.opFood had doubled over normal days as had sales of fresh foods, cosmeticsand cleaning products.

Sales of clothing and kitchen appliances had been 30 percent higher, he said.

Saigon Co.op’s Sense City department stores in Ben Tre, Can Tho and Ca Mau werealso crowded, with people coming to watch films, eat and shop for clothing,footwear and cosmetics, especially if there were discounts.

Republic of Korean supermarket chain Lotte Mart said sales had been up 20 percent,with processed and ready-to-eat foods, soft drinks, fruits and vegetables, anddried foods being the biggest sellers.

Promotions had greatly contributed to the higher sales, it said.

Lotte offered many promotions at its 13 stores nation-wide, including discountsof up to 49 percent on many leading brands.

Big C supermarkets, which offered discounts, also said sales had increasedsignificantly.

However, traditional markets like Ba Chieu and Thi Nghe in Binh Thanh district,Go Vap in Go Vap district, and Binh Khanh in District 2 said the number ofcustomers had been slightly down compared to normal days.

Traders there said this had been because many people had returned to theirhometown or travelled.

Nguyen Thu Nga, a trader at Thị Nghe Market, said prices had remained normalexcept for some fresh products, whose prices had gone slightly up.

Officials managing wholesale markets said there had been abundant supply duringthe holiday and so prices had been steady.-VNS/VNA