To boost their sales during the festive season, the majority of shopping stores and businesses around Kigali have reduced prices on some products, just a day to Christmas Day.

A Business Times mini-survey shows that, Simba Supermarket and KENLI commonly known as T-2000, a store selling general merchandise are among the shopping centers offering attractive discounts on the market.
"Competition is now very stiff; we reduced our prices for the Christmas season almost two months ago.

The response has been positive because the number of people shopping here has increased,” Miao, the General Manager of T-2000 said.

The manager said that T-2000 is offering 20 percent discount on all its merchandise.

Simba Supermarket has also notably slashed prices of consumer goods with a general discount of 5 percent.  The store is offering 100 percent discount on perfumes, 10 percent on electronics and 50 percent on Casa Alta wines.

"We are very busy this season because some many people are shopping for Christmas. The discounts we offering on various products have also made it attractive for people to shop with us,” said an attendant at Simba Supermarket told Business Times on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the store. 

However Simba Supermarket discounts have time frame with most offering expiring on 2nd January 2010.

While the Nakumatt Supermarket housed by the Union Trade Centre, is generally not offering significant Christmas discounts on its products apart from 10 percent discount on electronics, the giant store is rewarding its loyal customers.

Customers with the store’s shopping cards "Cyber Cash” can do shopping for free depending on points earned on the card. Each point is worth Rwf12.

"This is a way of giving back to our customers. Right now we are slightly busier because of Christmas shopping,” Patrick Karanja, an official at the Supermarket said.

Textile shops that trade local fabric "Ibitenge” are also taking advantage of the festive season with some shops offering as much 30 percent discount on each piece.  However most of them said they were hit by low sales this season.

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