Great Sale targets Rp 3.7t

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

This year's Jakarta Great Sale, held to celebrate the city's 475th anniversary and to boost business through discounted packages for both local and foreign visitors, is expected to secure Rp 3.7 trillion (about US$371 million) in revenue, the coordinator boasted on Thursday.

"We are optimistic that the event will be successful to attract a greater number of visitors who, in turn, will cause transactions to increase by 20 percent during the month," said Pungky Bambang Purwadi, head of the Jakarta Chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

The one-month sale, to take place from June 14, will offer discounted prices of 20 percent to 70 percent in shopping malls, hotels, supermarkets, restaurants, department stores and factory outlets.

However, Indonesian Consumers' Foundation (YLKI) executive secretary Retno Widiastuti warned the public not to be tempted by big discounts as businesspeople in Indonesia have yet to become ethical in running their business.

Retno said that there was no guarantee that "discounted prices" were genuine price cuts. In some cases, they were discounted because the products were faulty.

"Discounted goods must be perfect merchandise sold at discount prices. If not, the strategy will backfire as consumers will become apathetic about all types of discounted goods," she said.

The Jakarta Great Sale, to be held for the sixth time here, used to be known as the Discount Fair or Shopping Festival.

Pungky claimed that the event managed to secure Rp 3.1 trillion last year, a hefty increase from only Rp 2.5 trillion the previous year.

He attributed his optimism to the greater number of would-be local and foreign visitors, thanks to the passage of time to launch a strong campaign and the wider business sectors expressing their commitment to participate in the event.

"The recent flooding aftermath will not affect transactions too much, and they will hopefully be boosted by people spending their holiday in Jakarta," Pungky said, referring to the school holidays.

Yustian Ismail, head of the steering committee for the JGS said it was intended to follow the success story of similar events in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

Despite the coordinator's confidence, the media reported that last year's event failed to net a greater number of enthusiasts. Some shopping malls, including Plaza Senayan in Central Jakarta and Mal Pondok Indah in South Jakarta refused to participate in the event.

Rudy R.J. Sumampouw of Matahari department store stated that his company would certainly participate in the event.

"All 30 outlets we have in Greater Jakarta will participate in the discount campaign," Rudy said, adding that last year, only six outlets joined in.

Tutum Rahanta, of the clothing outlet firm Pojok Busana, also expressed similar confidence that the event would revive the city's business outlook.

"Almost all business sectors participate in the event. So, those that refuse will suffer a loss as they will be ignored by their customers," Tutum said.