MOBILE-phone sales have dropped by up to 60 percent in a month, according to some Phnom Penh retailers.

As they enter 2010, shopkeepers report that sales of both low-end and luxury mobiles have plummeted between 15 and 60 percent since December.

Sok Heng, owner of Sok Heng Phone Shop, says his sales dropped around 30 percent over the first six days of the month compared with the same period last month.

He now sells between 10 and 15 phones daily, down from more than 20 per day in December, he said.

The vendor, whose shop is on the fourth floor of Sovanna Shopping Centre and sells phones ranging from US$20 to $1,300, said: “It is very quiet. People do not have much money to buy or update their phones.”

He said he believes that the downturn is part of the fallout from the ongoing economic crisis.

Leang Peou, 50, owner of Leang Peou Phone Shop in Phnom Penh, who reported a sales drop of 15 percent, agreed: “My business is getting harder, but I might as well continue doing this because I have no choice. I would need to have a lot of money to start again,” he said.

Pich Votey, 30, owner of Pich Votey Phone Shop, also in the capital, said he had seen sales plummet by up to 60 percent and has not sold a phone for almost a week.