Jakarta Fair closes on successful note

Jakarta Fair closes on successful note

JAKARTA (JP): The 34th Jakarta Fair was officially closed on
Sunday evening, lacking the enthusiastic atmosphere of last
year's fair due to security reasons and Jakartans' declining
buying power, according to participants and visitors.

"I don't come here to shop, just to take the family out. We're
just looking around," Muftar Yono, a father of three and resident
of Rawamangun, East Jakarta, said.

The fair participants were even less exuberant, most saying
they were here for promotion purposes rather than pursuing retail
sales.

They did acknowledge, however, that they could still cover the
stall lease and some were even able to make a little profit.

"Last year was more crowded. Maybe it's because of the
security situation this year. But at least we could still sell
around 20 items a day," said Yuli, who sold various brands of
luggage.

Despite complaints of fewer visitors from tenants, the
organizer of the Jakarta Fair said they exceeded this year's
target of 1.6 million visitors and consider this year's fair more
successful than last year.

As of Saturday night, the fair had 1,413,838 visitors,
according to ticket sales, not including closing date visitors
and those who were granted free entrance, said the organizer's
spokesman Rusmin Effendy.

The Jakarta Fair, inaugurated by Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri, was closed last night by Jakarta deputy governor
for economic affairs Fauzi Alvi Yassin.

During the month-long fair, Saturdays and Sundays were usually
packed, with people coming in with their families.

The nightly live music performances by popular Indonesian
singers and bands also helped in attracting more visitors,
according to Maximilianus Yosef, one of the organizer's public
relations staff.

"When Jamrud band performed, we had around 18,000 visitors
that night ... mostly the band's die-hard fans," he said.

In terms of transaction value, Jakarta Fair this year booked
higher sales value, with retail transactions reaching Rp 173
billion (US$15 million), compared to last year's Rp 120 billion.

Nevertheless, 75 percent of this year's transaction value came
from automotive sales.

Electronic appliances were also among the best selling items,
according to Maximilianus, as most of the electronics vendors
offered flexible payment arrangements and credit facilities.

Nevertheless, electronics sellers complained that operational
costs during the fair were high and even though they were still
able to sell their merchandise, sales were not as high as
expected.

"Compared to last year, less people are here to buy. It's
caused by the ongoing crisis, I suppose," said Ferry Pernadi of
Agis Electronics.

"We do offer credit card payment facilities, but those who
finally decided to buy, usually paid in cash," he added.

Meanwhile, participants from numerous provinces said their
motive for participating in the fair was mainly to promote
handicrafts from their area and to attract large buyers.

"We don't have high expectations for retail sales, but there
are even less prospects for finding large buyers. There are some,
but not as many as expected," said Dea Kertajagat from Lombok,
West Nusa Tenggara.

However, Dea said he was not discouraged, saying he would
still participate in next year's fair hoping for better sales.
(06)