US retail group Party City has extended its holiday range to include a collection of Ramadan decorations, the first time a major US retailer has catered for the religious festival.
The dedicated line of decorations has been designed in-house by Party City’s internal product innovation team especially for Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.
The new line has been welcomed by many Muslims gearing up for this year’s festivities. In 2018, Ramadan begins in the evening of Tuesday 15 May and ends on Thursday 14 June with the Eid al-Fitr celebration.
Ryan Vero, the company’s president of retail, said that Party City created the items because customers kept requesting them. “We are always seeking insights from our store teams who are engaging with our customers every day,” he commented, describing Muslim customers as ‘underserved’ when it comes to party supplies.
Decorating a home for Ramadan and Eid is not necessarily traditional for Muslims, but has become increasingly popular. Currently only available online, the product line has been selling well and many items have already sold out. The collection will be available in-store this weekend in select stores across New York, Los Angeles and Texas.
Party City’s new line includes tableware, banners, decals, gift bags and balloons in purple, blue, green and gold and embellished with mosques and the star and crescent symbol.
Party City, which introduces about 8,000 products and 50 party-goods ensembles each year, is tapping into a lucrative market. There are about nine million Muslims in North America, according to a 2014 study released by the American Muslim Consumer Consortium. The consortium’s founder put Muslim spending power in the United States at about $100 billion.
