Heatwave disrupts Moroccan markets, impacting sales

Morocco's cities are experiencing a significant slowdown in commercial activity due to an intense heatwave. Merchants across popular markets and shopping centers report a sharp drop in sales and customer foot traffic, attributing the decline directly to the soaring temperatures.

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The high temperatures have made commercial activity almost non-existent during daylight hours, as citizens prefer to stay in their homes; purchases are limited to some evening periods.

Traders in both large urban markets and smaller, traditional souks have noted fewer customers, especially during the hottest parts of the day. This forces residents to stay indoors, impacting the revenue of numerous businesses. Nabil Harma Allah, a member of the Casablanca-Settat Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services, stated that commercial movement becomes "almost non-existent" during daylight hours, with shoppers only emerging in the evenings.

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This situation coincided with the summer season, during which many families travel to other cities for vacation; this deepened the state of stagnation.

This economic slump is compounded by the summer holiday season, a time when many Moroccan families travel. Harma Allah mentioned that his conversations with traders in various regions, including inland cities like Settat, Berrechid, Ben Ahmed, and Benslimane, reveal a widespread commercial stagnation. While larger malls with air conditioning offer some respite, smaller neighborhood markets suffer significantly during midday.

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There is a decrease in demand coming from inland cities suffering from high temperatures, and many small traders are postponing restocking or reducing their purchase volume due to weak sales.

Saeid Farah, secretary-general of the Darb Omar Market Traders and Importers Association in Casablanca, confirmed a clear drop in sales. He noted that demand from inland cities, which are bearing the brunt of the heat, has decreased, leading many small traders to postpone or reduce their purchases. Farah added that while sales of summer essentials like air conditioners, food packaging supplies, and women's sun hats are up, other product categories are seeing reduced demand.

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Products such as summer essentials, air conditioners, food packaging items, and women's sun hats are in demand, while sales of other products have declined.