Customers shop for goods at Co.opmart Lý Thường Kiệt Supermarket in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ

HCM CITY — The Co.opmart supermarket chain will stock two to four times more essential goods for upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday compared to the last event.

Võ Hoàng Anh, marketing director of the Sài Gòn Co.op which owns the Co.opmart chain, said more than 110,000 tonnes of goods are expected to be sold in three months starting a month before Tết, or 15 per cent higher than last year. The New Year falls on January 28 next year.

Besides selling essential items at 5-10 per cent lower than the market price under the city’s price stabilisation programme, Co.opmart, in collaboration with suppliers, will slash the prices on thousands of other items by 10-50 per cent in the run-up to Tết, he said.

With nearly two months to go, most HCM City businesses have completed stocking plans.

Văn Đức Mười, general director of Vissan Limited Company, which processes and sells fresh and frozen meat and foods, said the company started making preparations in June.

The company will supply 3,000 tonnes of fresh meat and 3,200 tonnes of processed foods, 10-20 per cent higher than for last Tết, he said.

It will also launch three new products for Tết, including cheese sausage and pork pie mixed with salted egg and vegetables.

There would be no price shocks during Tết, Mười assured, saying in fact his company would cut prices before Tết to stimulate demand.

Many poultry and egg providers like Ba Huân and Vĩnh Thành Đạt also plan to increase supply.

Similarly, most confectionery producers plan to increase supply and offer many products at a wide price range to meet varying tastes and budgets.

The Biên Hoà Confectionery Corporation (Bibica) plans to supply 1,800 tonnes of confectionery, up 10 per cent from the last Lunar New Year.

Bibica is also set to launch new high-quality cookies for Tết.

It has products in various segments at prices ranging from VNĐ45,000 to VNĐ350,000 (US$15.4).

Nguyễn Tô Kiều Trinh, marketing director of Lotte Mart Việt Nam, said the supermarket would increase supply of confectionary, coffees and other beverages by 30-40 per cent and fashion products by 25 per cent compared to last year.

It would also meet the demand for fruits and vegetable during Tết, which is expected to increase by 20 per cent, he said, adding it would also offer discounts of 5-10 per cent.

Besides increasing supply to meet the Tết demand, many producers said they are also focused on improving product quality and packaging.

According to the city Department of Industry and Trade, the total value of goods that companies in HCM City will stock during the two months straddling Tết will be VNĐ17.06 trillion ($765.3 million), around 5 per cent higher than last year.

The city’s price stabilisation programme will account for VNĐ6.8 trillion ($307.1 million) of these goods, meeting 30-40 per cent of demand.

Overall, production to serve the New Year will be 25-45 per cent higher than last year, with focus on poultry and animal meats, sugar, eggs, processed foods, cooking oil, and rice.

There would be an abundant supply of goods of good quality at reasonable prices during Tết, the department promised. — VNS