NewsWhore
05-19-2009, 06:50 PM
Consumers are the big winners of the mega-investments in the Jumbo, La Sirena and Plaza Lama malls. The new branches of these leading chains are waging sales and price wars as they try to capture customers with offers that include free transportation and new cheap store brands. Consumers have benefited with lower prices for basic foodstuffs and lots of goods on clearance in time for Mother's Day shopping.
Jumbo opened on Santo Domingo's Luperon Avenue on 30 April, followed shortly after by the La Sirena on 15 May. Jumbo, with 900 employees, is pushing its 30-item "Basic Food Staples" product line.
On the same avenue, La Sirena opened with 482 employees and announced a novel plan of free transport in coordination with the Metropolitan Transport Office (OMSA) running buses directly to the store from Los Alcarrizos and Los Rios-Feria. Meanwhile, Plaza Lama opened a new store on Nicolas de Ovando, employing 900 people. The three groups that opened stores have created more than 16,000 new jobs.
After Easter, several products like rice, beans, poultry, powdered milk, spaghetti, sardines and most farm products increased in price, but over the last week prices have gone down again in supermarkets and corner stores (colmados).
Diario Libre reporters found that rice can be purchased for RD$17 a pound, when before the cheapest price was RD$23. Red beans and pinto beans were available for RD$25 and before they were RD$30. Small sardines were sold at RD$20 and RD$21 and now are RD$19. Jumbo brand powdered milk in bags now costs RD$730 to RD$750, and before, it cost RD$800. Spaghetti that was sold at RD$20 a pound, is now available for RD$17. You can also get a pound of tomato paste for RD$40.
In the markets, farm produce such as plantains, yuca (cassava), bananas and yautia (taro) were all lower. Plantains were selling at between RD$3 and RD$7 each, yuca was at RD$10 and yautia was at RD$25.
Offers on special items increase further this month with the approach of Mother's Day and lower prices on dining tables, rugs and curtains, appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, blenders, air conditioners, and items such as sports equipment, clothing, T-shirts, pants, women and men's shoes, perfumes, wines, gin, and rum.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)
Jumbo opened on Santo Domingo's Luperon Avenue on 30 April, followed shortly after by the La Sirena on 15 May. Jumbo, with 900 employees, is pushing its 30-item "Basic Food Staples" product line.
On the same avenue, La Sirena opened with 482 employees and announced a novel plan of free transport in coordination with the Metropolitan Transport Office (OMSA) running buses directly to the store from Los Alcarrizos and Los Rios-Feria. Meanwhile, Plaza Lama opened a new store on Nicolas de Ovando, employing 900 people. The three groups that opened stores have created more than 16,000 new jobs.
After Easter, several products like rice, beans, poultry, powdered milk, spaghetti, sardines and most farm products increased in price, but over the last week prices have gone down again in supermarkets and corner stores (colmados).
Diario Libre reporters found that rice can be purchased for RD$17 a pound, when before the cheapest price was RD$23. Red beans and pinto beans were available for RD$25 and before they were RD$30. Small sardines were sold at RD$20 and RD$21 and now are RD$19. Jumbo brand powdered milk in bags now costs RD$730 to RD$750, and before, it cost RD$800. Spaghetti that was sold at RD$20 a pound, is now available for RD$17. You can also get a pound of tomato paste for RD$40.
In the markets, farm produce such as plantains, yuca (cassava), bananas and yautia (taro) were all lower. Plantains were selling at between RD$3 and RD$7 each, yuca was at RD$10 and yautia was at RD$25.
Offers on special items increase further this month with the approach of Mother's Day and lower prices on dining tables, rugs and curtains, appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, blenders, air conditioners, and items such as sports equipment, clothing, T-shirts, pants, women and men's shoes, perfumes, wines, gin, and rum.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#8)