Kolkata: Heavy rain on two days in a row brought the temperature as well as AC sales down. The dip in temperature was preceded by a searing heatwave spell in April, when AC sales in Kolkata broke an all-time record.
The total number of ACs sold in Kolkata last month crossed the 1-lakh mark to touch the record figure of 1.3 lakh. In Bengal, the total figure was 1.7 lakh.But, Great Eastern Retail director Pulkit Baid pointed out, the past three days saw a 50% drop in AC sales. “Since Monday, fewer ACs have been selling,” he said, adding this was after record figures across Bengal last month. According to him, 70,000-80,000 ACs are sold in April in Bengal, Kolkata accounting for 60% of the count. “This year, over 1.7 lakh ACs were sold in April,” Baid added.
According to the data from retailers, Bengal is a market for 7 lakh ACs annually, of which 60% market share is accounted by Kolkata. Around 50% of the total sales is usually recorded in April, May and June. Abhishek Jain, director of Sales Emporium, said, “After all-time high AC sales in April, we are noticing a dip in the rush for buying ACs after the Monday rain. The break is giving installation teams some time to finish pending jobs.”
Rajinder Singh, director of Raipur Electronics, pointed out that all major electronic retail chains like his had been grappling with the demand for ACs this summer. It was only after the mercury dropped that the mad rush had abated, he said. Khosla Electronics director Manish Khosla, Panasonic India business head (AC Group) Abhishek Verma and Godrej Appliances business head and executive VP Kamal Nandi agreed. While Khosla pointed out April’s sales were the highest since his electronics retail business started 37 years ago, Verma and Nandi, too, said April’s number “had not happened in many years”. Baid felt this trend would continue.
Khosla Electronics is selling 2,500 ACs a day now. “This year, the sales are double compared to last year,” he added. Verma said they saw 55% growth in March and April.