Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
Ease of doing business and more focus on compliance are some of the top priorities for the Suva Retailers Association this year.
Association President Jitesh Patel says that they want to work with government and other authorities to improve the ease of doing business and enable more digital transactions.
Patel, however states that businesses are sometimes burdened with hidden charges when it comes to digital transactions.
The retailers president says that they want to encourage more digitization for the businesses in Suva.
“So we want to work with the government and see how we can encourage more of these transactions, but the cost of doing this should not only be burdened by the retailers.”
Patel states that they are encouraging shoppers to prioritize planning when out shopping in the capital city.
He says that they head into New Year, they have to do a lot of planning and budgeting.
Patel urges families to spend their money wisely and inspect prices and quality of products before they purchase it.
He also calls that if customers are facing any issues they should engage in dialogue rather than confrontation with businesses.
The Suva Retailers Association says that 2024 was a challenging year for them and they had a slow growth rate and increase in labor shortage which they hope to overcome this year around.
