Outlets bringing in domestic tourists<\/p>\n
By Kafil Yamin<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): \"Irma\" played a part in Bandung's notorious
\ntraffic congestion on a recent weekend.<\/p>\n
She bundled all her family members into two vans, and headed
\nfrom their home in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, to Bandung, a
\nthree-hour drive.<\/p>\n
And all the 32 year old was in search of, as she put it, were
\n\"very friendly priced clothes\".<\/p>\n
She said she was not an avid shopper, but she could not resist
\na bargain. \"My friends told me that I could afford to buy clothes
\nthey were wearing. So we came here,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Bandung has become a favorite destination of Jakarta residents
\nfor what have become known as \"shopping vacations\". Outlets,
\nselling brand-name goods at discount prices, have sprouted up
\nacross the city, from the hillside suburb of Dago to downtown.<\/p>\n
It's the price that counts, shoppers say, as well as the fact
\nthat Bandung is so close to the capital. It can be reached easily
\nby road or rail.<\/p>\n
\"Go to Sogo department store in Jakarta to buy Versace jeans,
\nand it will cost you Rp 250,000 or so. I can buy it here for Rp
\n75,000! It's a more friendly rate,\" said Natasha, a teenager who
\narrived at one outlet in a car loaded down with her friends.<\/p>\n
Natasha said she could buy classy clothes at cheap prices.<\/p>\n
\"I find the price margin (compared to Jakarta store prices) is
\naround 75 percent to 150 percent on average,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Every weekend, vehicles bearing \"B\" license plates from
\nJakarta crowd the outlets' parking spaces.<\/p>\n
\"It's as if the spots (factory outlets) are specially
\nprepared for the people from Jakarta,\" grumbled Nani Sumarni, a
\nBandung resident who was shopping at the Otten One factory outlet
\nbut could not find a parking space.<\/p>\n
Her complaint has some truth to it. As more and more Jakartans
\ncome for inexpensive clothes, bags and shoes, they are fueling a
\ngrowing industry, with outlets opening up seemingly every day.<\/p>\n
\"We are definitely responding to the exciting potential from
\nbuyers from Jakarta,\" said Otten One manager Dede.<\/p>\n
He said profits exceeded his expectations when he opened the
\noutlet two months ago. Not only does his outlet draw many
\nshoppers, he receives huge orders from his friends in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"They do not have time for weekends these days, so they ask me
\nto send the clothes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Outlets are successful in feeding those who are brand-minded
\nand hunger for foreign quality goods. Shoppers can find Aigner,
\nGucci, DKNY, Chaps, Calvin Klein, Guess or Gap, which were
\nproduced by Indonesian firms under export licenses.<\/p>\n
It is the remainder from the export quotas that make it to the
\noutlets. And factory outlets, at least for middle scale business
\nstandards, are not a big investment.<\/p>\n
Outlet owners spend less for the \"leftovers\", even though they
\nsell them at lower prices. It is the volume of sales which
\noffsets the slight margin.<\/p>\n
Dede rented an old house on Jl. Dr. Otten and renovated it
\ninto an outlet of his own style. He sells from 200 to 300 items
\nof clothing a day. During the weekend, sales rise to 500 to 600
\npieces.<\/p>\n
He is one of the many trying for success in the business.
\nDuring the last seven months, at least 30 new outlets have
\nopened.<\/p>\n
Dede said the outlets were only one of the attractions drawing
\npeople to the city, but the \"main attraction\" was Bandung itself.<\/p>\n
He said Bandung had everything it took to be an attractive
\ncity.<\/p>\n
\"If you spend the weekend in Puncak (mountain resort, West
\nJava), for example, you will just indulge yourself in relaxing,
\njogging, unwinding or eating fruit. Here in Bandung, you can move
\neasily from one spot to another for different forms of leisure.\"<\/p>\n
Hotels are fully occupied during the weekend. Some travelers
\nfrom Jakarta said they would not have got a room if they had not
\nbooked early in the week.<\/p>\n
For travelers on a budget, there is cheaper accommodation
\navailable.<\/p>\n
Gudrun, a Canadian who watches every penny, said she stayed in
\na rough-and-ready accommodation for only Rp 20,000 a night. \"It
\nwas dirty, but the important thing was it was safe -- and cheap.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/outlets-bringing-in-domestic-tourists-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}