Sources of goods ensured to serve the Lunar New Year market

At this time, most manufacturing and trading enterprises have developed plans to actively reserve and supply goods, planning to implement market stabilisation programmes, promotions with deep discounts on essential items at the time of Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, so the possibility of a supply shortage or unusual price fluctuations is less likely.

Packing Tet jam at Hai Ha - Kotobuki Co., Ltd (Hanoi). Photo: TRAN VIET
Packing Tet jam at Hai Ha - Kotobuki Co., Ltd (Hanoi). Photo: TRAN VIET

In the past few years, people's consumption habits have been changing, focusing only on buying essential items to meet their needs, not buying and hoarding Tet goods like before, so the purchasing power on the market usually only increases sharply on the occasion of Tet. Therefore, in order to ensure sufficient demand for the sudden increase in goods volumes in a short time, to avoid speculation and price increases, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has proactively directed localities, businesses, production and business establishments to prepare goods sources and supply plans, even under the complicated epidemic conditions.

Representatives of the Bibica Confectionery Company are speeding up the preparation of about 3,000 tonnes of confectionery products for the market, the same quantity as the previous year, in order to serve the diverse needs of people during the Lunar New Year. Currently, Bibica has more than 80 product categories across different segments, meticulously designed, luxurious in appearance and product quality. Although affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, which caused the price of input materials of some products to increase by about 5% to 12%, Bibica still committed not to increase the selling price of any product in order to stabilise the market supply as per its production regulation plan.

Similarly, the KIDO Group said it has implemented a series of solutions to keep the supply of goods smooth during the epidemic, not disrupting business activities, especially during the peak year-end season. Accordingly, KIDO will focus resources on cooking oil with an output increase of 30% over the same period in 2020.

In addition to preparing sufficient sources of essential goods, commercial enterprises are adjusting their year-end strategies to be more appropriate and effective. Accordingly, the Vinmart supermarket system has plans to replenish the supply of essential items for Tet from now on with the goal of increasing the amount of stock to 35% more compared to normal months. Most of the budget will be used to invest in the reserves of nine groups of market stabilising goods, the rest for food, other non-food items and Tet specialties. The supermarket chain Big C and Go will also prioritise domestic suppliers to avoid risk, proactively sourcing inputs as well as reducing unnecessary costs.

According to the director for the northern region of the Central Retail Group Le Manh Phong, the stock of goods to serve the needs of the Lunar New Year is expected to increase by 5% to 7% compared to Tet last year. In particular, enterprises will focus on popular products at moderate and economical prices to match the incomes of people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, instead of "unique and strange" products like a few years ago. Not only ensuring supply, supermarket chains also plan to hire a large number of seasonal employees as cashiers, delivery, and counters, in order to meet the shopping needs of consumers during peak hours and weekends.

According to information from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in order to promote production in the long term, the Ministry is rushing to gradually reopen markets, trade centers, supermarkets, convenience stores and business households, on the basis of ensuring epidemic prevention and control measures, to increase goods consumption. Simultaneously, the Ministry has also developed programmes to stabilise and stimulate consumption during the New Year and Lunar New Year holidays, the programme "The Vietnam Grand Sale 2021". At the same time, the ministry has also established a special working group in three regions to keep abreast of market developments, participate in coordinating the connection between the supply and demand of essential goods between localities, meeting the needs of the people, ensuring that the supply chain is not disrupted under any circumstances.

Up to now, Hanoi has identified the group of goods that require stability during the Tet holiday, including essential consumer goods such as rice, beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and items with high levels of demand during Tet such as agricultural products, dried forest products, confectionery, alcohol and soft drinks. Therefore, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has plans to use 28 trade centers, 123 supermarkets, 449 traditional markets and 1,800 convenience stores, and tens of thousands of grocery stores in the area, to the total value of about VND39 trillion, to meet the needs of about the 10.3 million people living, working and studying in Hanoi. On the other hand, the Department is also ready to use 2,500 locations in districts as mobile sales points for essential goods, in case of epidemic outbreaks in the area.

In Ho Chi Minh City, although the epidemic situation is complicated, the supply of goods continues to be stable, ensuring the shopping needs of the people in the new normal. According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, from the beginning of October until now, the gradual recovery of traditional distribution channels has made an important contribution to stabilising the prices of agricultural products and vegetables, since the period of applying social distancing under Directive 16.

Currently, the amount of goods gathered at the transit points at the three wholesale markets is also increasing gradually, meeting the requirements of the people, especially for the upcoming Lunar New Year period. Supermarkets and convenience stores still operate with more than 3,000 retail points to serve the people's essential needs.

With careful preparation from manufacturing and trading enterprises, along with the implementation of the directions of the Government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the work of securing goods, it is forecasted that the market during the New Year and the Lunar New Year will not see abnormal fluctuations in prices or a shortage of goods.

However, localities and businesses still have to closely monitor market developments in order to make appropriate adjustments, as well as inspect and supervise food hygiene and safety, the origin of goods, and ensure that goods are sold at the prices listed.

Director general of the General Department for Market Surveillance (Ministry of Industry and Trade) Tran Huu Linh said that at the end of the year, smugglers and counterfeiters often increase their activities, focusing on alcohol and confectionery, so the market management force has built a plan, and coordinated with the relevant forces to take effective measures to fight and prevent counterfeit goods and commercial fraud, including violations of e-commerce, in order to make the market healthy and clean.

Translated by NDO