A display of school supplies at Analakely market. In July, as school holidays continue, market stalls in the capital are already filling up with notebooks, pens and other school supplies. At Analakely, the main market in the capital, retailers have anticipated the upcoming school year. However, this year, consumers will face higher prices compared to last year.
"The price of our items depends entirely on the rates set by wholesalers and suppliers. When their prices increase, we are forced to pass this increase on to our products," explains Manampy, a school supplies retailer for several years.
Thus, certain branded notebooks such as "Classinn" are now offered at 15,000 ariary per pack, compared to 13,000 ariary last year. "Calligraphe" branded notebooks follow the same trend, with their price rising from 15,000 ariary to 16,000 ariary per pack.
Moderate Foot Traffic
The price increase also affects basic supplies, such as pens. "We buy pens at 500 ariary per unit to resell them at 800 ariary or 1,000 ariary at the market," says José, a school supplies seller.
For now, foot traffic remains moderate. Merchants are mainly welcoming customers who buy supplies individually, without school supply lists. "Parents with supply lists generally start coming around mid-August, as the school year approaches. That's when demand increases sharply and the market experiences its peak activity," a vendor explains.
Awaiting the peak season, merchants hope that the back-to-school shopping period will allow them to offset rising supply costs, in a context where household purchasing power remains under pressure.
Jessi Pamela, Morgane Rakotoson