After the government sealed a dozen branded stores in Durbarmarg for fleecing customers, 80 retail outlets in Durbarmarg on Thursday pulled down their shutters to protest the raids conducted by the government.

A team from the Department of Supply Management and Protection of Consumers Interest has sealed a dozen stores by Wednesday.

During the monitoring, traders were found charging exorbitant prices for the items kept for sale.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Department of Supply Management and Protection of Consumers Interest sealed five branded stores in Durbarmarg on the charge of selling goods at exorbitant prices. 

Shops that were sealed are: Labels Store, the seller of Reebok and Levis products, Lions Style Enterprises, the seller of Bossini products, Sulux Centre, seller of Rado watches, and Watch and See, a multi-brand store that sells Fossil watches, and DKNY, Armani and Polaroid sunglasses, among others.

During the inspection, the department found Labels Store selling a t-shirt at Rs2, 650—which included a discount of 30 percent-as against the cost price of Rs1, 754. The store was also found selling Reebok brand footwear for Rs16, 490 as against the cost price of Rs7, 615. 

Lions Style, on the other hand, was found selling Bossini shirts, under buy-one-get-one free scheme, at prices double the cost price. 

Earlier on Monday, the DoSM had sealed four shops of branded luxury items in Durbarmarg for marking up prices by as much as 2,300 percent.

Photos: Angad Dhakal