Sellers at the fish market located on the southern side of the Doha Corniche “seem to be benefiting” from the recent relocation of the Abu Hamour central fish market to Umm Slal, it is found.
Interactions with customers and traders over the last few days have revealed that the fish market on the Corniche has been “steadily gaining popularity” of late among residents of Doha as well as places in its immediate neighbourhood.
Many of the new customers at the Corniche market, they point out, were regulars at the central fish market in Abu Hamour.
The Corniche fish market, which used to function in an open area facing the sea, has now been moved to a roofed place some 100m away from its earlier location. Patronage for the facility has been good and more people are visiting the place nowadays, according to sources.
Some retailers said the growing popularity of the place was partly because of the relocation of the Abu Hamour central fish market to Umm Slal.
One of them said distance is a key factor, with many people “reluctant” to travel all the way to Umm Slal – which lies to the north of Doha – and would prefer going to a more “conveniently located” market to meet their requirements for fresh fish.
“While the Corniche market is easily accessible from many locations in Doha, the Umm Slal is considered too far by many customers,” said a stall owner at the market.
The Corniche market, along with the Al Wakrah fish market and Al Khor and Al Shamal fish market, is one of the options available to fish eaters in the country other than the Umm Slal facility. These are in addition to supermarkets and hypermarkets selling fish.
Earlier, it was mainly in the evening that the open market received customers. Now, the Corniche market attracts customers even during the day as it operates from a roofed area.
Customers feel the market at the Corniche, like the earlier one in Abu Hamour, has a “bigger stock and greater variety” of fish than many other retail stalls and the quality is also high.
Yesterday, a Gulf Times report said some fish sellers in the Umm Slal market were “considering relocating” in view of “inadequate public patronage”. They feel while the rents are affordable there, the long distance from different parts of Doha is a major deterrent for potential customers.