Mumbai:
With the cricket World Cup on, restaurants, retail stores and entertainment avenues in the city are beginning to feel the pinch.
Says Farhang Jehani owner Leopold Cafe, at Colaba Causeway, "The matches definitely affect our business. As far as our customers are concerned, we see a decrease of almost 40 per cent during the World Cup."
Jehani laments the fact that when the Cafe had screened matches earlier, people sat through the entire 100 overs until the match was over.
"Hence, there was no rotation of customers as such. Most of these people order a few mugs of beer and sit for the entire duration. Hence, business suffers," he adds. When asked if he was planning to set up screens during this World Cup to lure customers, he replies, "No, we prefer to keep out of all this."
It is a mixed bag. Many restaurants have been hit because of World Cup fever, whereas others are doing brisk business.
Says Feroz Khan, manager at Cafe Noorani in Tardeo, "The number of people coming to the restaurant has decreased, but business has not been affected because people prefer home delivery during matches."
Others are of the opinion that the World Cup will not affect their business at all.
"We do not expect any decrease in the number of customers," claims Ankur Tandon, marketing manager, Punjab Grill in Juhu and the Palladium at the Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel.
Retail owners on the other hand believe that it is only when India plays that sales get affected. "There is no change except when India is playing.
Also, it depends on who is batting first. Usually we have noticed some 30-40 per cent reduction in footfalls when India is batting," says Viren Shah, President, Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA).
Since the World Cup is spread over two months, retailers feel that the impact on their business will only be felt during the big matches. "Most customers visit stores during the weekends.
Hence, if the big matches are on the weekends then business suffers," says Govind Shrikhande, Managing Director (all India) Shoppers Stop.
The World Cup is also a concern amongst many theatre artists and art lovers. Manohar Gadhia, a media consultant for various plays believes that it is the popularity of the play that matters. "Super hit plays go housefull.
The problem will be for the plays, which are not so popular. People will definitely prefer to watch a match at home for free rather than travel all the way to watch a not so popular play and pay for it," opines Ghadia.
Feroz Khan, producer-director of the play Dinner With Friends, who had a show in Mumbai during the India vs Bangladesh match claims that the tickets for the show were all sold out.
"The big matches will have an impact," says Khan.
Theatre artiste Makarand Deshpande, who has several plays lined up in March says, "People will come in and enjoy irrespective of whether there is a match or not."