The 8th edition of the commercial days of the Prince Moulay Abdallah pedestrian street has been launched. Until April 15, the merchants of this thoroughfare are displaying their goods in front of their shops. Organised by the "Assafaa" Association of merchants, liberal professions, and city centre services, these commercial days set themselves the objectives of developing and maintaining local commerce and promoting the sale of stock to the advantage of merchants and consumers.

"This event is part of the animation of the city centre. We opted for a date that coincides with the school holidays in order to reach people with small budgets, particularly those who reside outside Casablanca", explains Ali Bouftass, re-elected head of the "Assafaa" Association on March 27. The merchants thus hope to do good business. They have highlighted everything to seduce shopping enthusiasts.

Sales according to standards

No need to go rummaging through the shop shelves, the merchandise is displayed, as usual, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., outside the shops. All or almost all of the stock must be sold. To do this, "Assafa" convinced the merchants to offer discounts of up to 50%. The association also concluded an agreement with suppliers to grant a price reduction to sellers. The entire sales chain is mobilised to attract a large number of customers to the Prince Moulay Abdallah pedestrian street.

A set of specifications was also put in place in order to encourage merchants to respect international sales standards. "Sellers must display the old and the new price. They must also leave space in front of the shops for pedestrians", explains Ali Bouftas. Better yet, the Assafaa association is working with the Casablanca Chamber of Commerce and Industry to regulate sales and establish an annual schedule in order to avoid unfair competition. "The goal of the clearance sale is to attract more attention from local authorities and national security elements to the city centre, which persists despite the dilapidation", explains Ali Bouftas.

The latter hopes to restore the city centre's reputation. "We would like the shop windows to remain lit in the evening so that tourists staying in nearby hotels pass by the Prince Moulay Abdallah pedestrian street more often. Unfortunately, this option is no longer possible because of the street vendors who squat in the area from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. I really wonder what they can sell at such an hour", he concludes.

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Specialist's opinion: Ali Bouftass, president of the "Assafaa" Association of merchants and liberal professions of the city centre.

"Merchants are counting on the tramway and the new Casa-Port station to have a more secure city centre"

• You are organising the 8th edition of the commercial days. Do you think this event will be successful despite the presence of other shopping centres that are more "modern" than the city centre?

The city centre is first of all closer to the people of Casablanca. The lighting has been redone and the shop windows of the Prince Moulay Abdallah pedestrian street display sales that respect international standards. Furthermore, the products presented are intended for a category of the local population and small towns who are not used to doing their shopping in large stores. We want to encourage them to buy products that generally exceed their budget.

• Could this kind of action revive the city centre, which is already dying?

Thanks to this event, we want to fight the phenomenon of street vendors, which persists despite the efforts of local authorities. The Assafaa association would like to partner with a residents' association in order to fight the stalls that harm the image of the city centre. The merchants are also counting on the tramway and the new Casa-Port station to have a more secure, cleaner, and above all prettier city centre, notably with the renovation of the facades. They lost a lot because of the tramway works and they hope to recover their lost revenue. We are also waiting for the launch of the tramway to bring new franchises to the city centre.