Retail businesses around the Quiapo district in Manila could be expected to see gains from the masses of devotees joining the procession to the Catholic Church area for the annual Filipino tradition of Traslacion. But a merchants group said more than any revenue increase, their businesses have learned to adapt to the challenges posed by such huge event.
The adaptability of businesses, particularly those engaged in retail, shines in times of religious and celebratory occasions. The Traslacion is no exception, according to an official of a retailers group.
Steven Cua, executive director of the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association, in an interview with Malaya Business Insight yesterday, said small retailers in and around Quiapo where the Traslacion activities are done take advantage of this short window of a week or so in pushing products — from religious relics and souvenir items to snacks.
Cua said as Traslacion comes just a few days after an equally important religious occasion, Christmas, and the New Year’s merriment, retailers and small businesses continue their enterprising push and strategize on how they could cater better to the needs of those that celebrate the Feast of the Black Nazarene.
“A business has to be consumer-centric, even if it this (feast) is celebrated just once a year. I’ve heard of some establishments deploying ambulant vendors to sell their products in the runup to the Traslacion and even a few days after,” Cua said.
But Cua noted that enterprises produce just enough so as not to be stuck with a huge inventory related to this year’s Traslacion.
“A T-shirt or banner printed with `Translacion 2025’ cannot be sold in 2026,” Cua said.
Small snack items and beverages are the fastest moving to satisfy the hunger pangs of devotees that line up for the “pahalik” at the Quirino Grandstand as well as those that join the Traslacion.
Cuz said religious items such as bibles or rosaries become all the more popular items for retailers in Quiapo.
“The psyche of Filipinos, however, is that they only buy a few items right after they attend a mass. I think it’s because they do not think of material things when they attend a religious activity. We have observed this in our store in Baclaran and this Traslacion is no exception. That’s why on-the-go items are the most sellable. Consumers don’t do heavy shopping,” Cua added.
Cua said the observation of the Feast of the Black Nazarene has no material impact on sales of supermarkets and groceries “because this is not a national event.”
But he gave an estimate of sales increase of “only less than 5 percent” in the sales of stores and vendors near Quiapo especially because the fast-moving items are of low value, such as food and drinks.
He said the estimates also apply to small restaurants and fast foods near Luneta grandstand where the pahalik was done starting as early as Tuesday night.
“The celebration is a one-off (gain) for retailers and small businesses but this is very minimal,” Cua added.
When asked about holiday sales in November and December, Cua said PAGASA is yet to meet by the end of January to consolidate members’ data.
But “demand was soft” during the holiday season compared to the previous year, he said, without elaborating.
