Chill in Business: Lack of Cold and Coal Buyers Forces Sellers in Kuwait to Close Shops

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 4: Charcoal is like many seasonal supplies, as the demand for charcoal increases in winter due to the large number of camps and low temperature — when most people use charcoal for heating or to prepare some food, as the mainland gatherings are rarely devoid of charcoal and lighting a fire, reports Al-Anba daily. The situation this year is different from the previous year, as the weather is still moderate and the country has yet to experience extreme cold weather, which affected the charcoal market as many people began to use charcoal only out of necessity. Whoever used seven bags a week before uses only one bag now. The daily staff visited the coal market recently to find out how the market has been affected by the weather conditions.

Umm Hassan Al-Ali disclosed that “for the first time in years, the winter season has passed and we reached the end of the year without the cold even for days. We buy charcoal so that we can feel the winter weather even if we do not feel the extreme cold. In the past, we used five to seven bags of charcoal weighing 10 kilograms during the week, but now we are satisfied with one bag and the second bag is for grilling.”

She added: “The joy of winter comes with the cold weather. I am a fan of ‘Kashtat Al-Barr’ picnic every year, but this year we did not feel the cold and we are in the late days of Al-Murabbaniyah (December). Even the charcoal sellers do not see anyone buying the product. We hope that in the coming days, the weather will change and the cold will intensify. This allows us to feel the atmosphere of winter and the sweetness of the cold. The absence of cold has affected many economic areas and the movement of markets, such as winter clothes, blankets, charcoal, etc, all of which have decreased demand due to the absence of extreme cold.”

Mohammad Al-Shaheen stated: “This year, it seems we forgot the cold and did not feel its atmosphere. We are in the last days of Al-Murabbaniyah. Every year at this time, we use all types of heating, including heaters, lighting fire and charcoal, and wearing various types of winter clothes, but this year, most of the aspects of the winter have disappeared due to the absence of cold weather. There are many means of heating in Kuwait, but I prefer charcoal and firewood. I buy large quantities of them every year, but this year I did not buy even 20 percent of my purchase rate each year. We are now in the main market for coal, which has been in existence for more than 60 years. Every year, you do not find parking space in front of the stores, but now the streets are empty and there is no demand for charcoal. Most of those who buy charcoal are either for grilling or for ‘shisha’ (hubbly bubbly).

Prices
Asked if prices increase each year, he said: “The prices of all supplies have increased, not just coal.”

Adnan Al-Khatib stated: “I am a fan of weekly ‘kashtas’ (picnics). Every year in the past, I used to buy three types of charcoal and firewood for grilling, heating, and shisha; but this year, I do not need charcoal much. In the past, the cold intensified at the beginning of December, when the temperature reached zero sometimes, but now we are in January and the temperature is still more than 20 degrees Celsius during the day and 15 degrees Celsius at night. Previously, I used to take four sacks of charcoal, but now I only take one sack and it is for grilling.” Al-Khatib talked about the best types of charcoal he has; explaining that African charcoal is the best, its price is reasonable, and the quality is high, although there are more than 15 types of charcoal, but he prefers this charcoal.

Rajab Abdul Qader, a seller in a charcoal store, told The Daily: After 33 years in Kuwait and working in this store, I will leave Kuwait because of the 60-year-old law. Regarding the season this year, Rajab explained “The season has ended and we have not benefited from it at all. There is a decrease in sales each year by more than 60 percent, as we used to sell wholesale and retail, and the three months that we work during the winter spare us the rest of the days of the year, but now, as you can see, the market is empty and there are only some customers who used to take five bags of charcoal, now they take one for barbecuing, while the rest take a special type of charcoal for shisha.

About the prices, Rajab said the prices are similar to those of last year, and the goods are piled up in stores due to the lack of demand. “My final word is that coal is for seasonal use all over the world, and the colder the cold, the greater the demand for it.”

Shaaban Mohammad, a seller in the charcoal market, asserted: Thank Allah for everything and the compensation is from Him. For years, I have been working in this field and everyone says that ‘the colder the cold, the greater the demand for charcoal’. This saying is 100 percent true, and we saw it this year after an absence of cold and moderate weather, so the demand for coal decreased significantly. Throughout the year, we sell charcoal to restaurants and cafés. In winter when camping is allowed in Kuwait, we are hopeful that the demand for charcoal will increase and our sales rise to more than 70 percent. We have regular customers who come continuously during the camping season, but this year, we did not see them due to the mild weather and the absence of extreme cold.”

This news has been read 1802 times!