Demand for Winter jackets, cardigans increases in Abuja, Nigeria

Dealers in second-hand cardigans and winter jackets yesterday in Abuja expressed delight at the slight increase in the demand for sweaters.  The dealers said the demand for the warm clothing had also increased sales. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria is currently witnessing harmattan season, which is usually very cold in some parts of the country.

  A check on some of the markets by NAN showed a lot of buyers selecting the design of cardigans that best suited them.  At the Utako market, one of the dealers, Malam Usman Doki, said ``I have gone to stock the products because of the harmattan season which is usually cold and hazy’’. Doki said there were slight increases in prices, adding ``we expect to enjoy sales as the weather gets colder’’.  Alhaji Abubakar Suleiman, another dealer, said demand for the warm clothing had also increased, prompting a hike in the prices.  ``A piece of sweater which used to cost N250 now goes for between N350 and N400 only,’’ Suleiman said.  According to him, waist jackets that have hoods are more expensive as they are sold for between N1, 500 and N2, 500.Dickson Emeka, a wholesaler, said that a bale of the material was now being sold between N25, 000 and N35, 000 as against the former price of between N23, 000 and N28, 000.  ``Business is moving as customers come from Minna, Kaduna and nearby towns to buy from us,’’ he said.

  At Garki International Market, the demand for cardigans and winter jackets had also increased astronomically.  However, the rise in demand had not affected the price of the products, which remained stable as at the time of filing this report.  Some buyers were seen shopping for cardigans and other warm clothing in some of the shops. Patience Okonji, a dealer, said that she used to sell between two and five cardigans in a week, adding that she now sold between 10 and 20 weekly.  ``The number of my customers coming to buy sweaters has increased in the last two weeks.