SALES OF SUMMER HOME APPLIANCES RISE

DEMAND for summer home appliances has surged 10-18 percent. Traders said that sales of refrigerators, air conditioners and air coolers swelled due to a rising preference for high-tech products and reduced load-shedding hours. LG, Samsung, Whirlpool, Yashuda, Panasonic and Daewoo are the fastest selling brands in the segment. The dealers of these brands said that the introduction of new models of home appliances had helped to push up sales. CG Electronics, authorised distributor of LG, sells a wide range of refrigerators and air conditioners. The latest refrigerators from the brand come with features like Catechin Deodoriser and Green Ion door technology. Bishnu Gyawali, assistant manager at CG, said the surge in demand was due to advanced technology that keeps food fresh and odourless for a longer period. According to him, single-door refrigerators available in different colour options are among the fastest selling machines. “Demand for the product has grown as the new models have added features and cost less,” he said. Air conditioners from LG are also seeing a growing market. According to Gyawali, sales have been rising 10-12 percent annually. Meanwhile, Nepa Hima Trade Link, authorised distributor of Whirlpool home appliances, reported a similar growth in sales of their refrigerators. “Due to changing life styles, people are going for products with added feature,” said the company’s general manager Binil Bajracharya. According to him, the ice-magic refrigerator that the company introduced last year is the best selling model in its line-up. “Demand for the product is growing due to its efficiency and reasonable price.” Similarly, Him Electronics, authorised distributor of Samsung, said it was witnessing a market growth of 18- 20 percent. “Although sales have not risen as expected due to heavy rains this year, a drop in power cuts has helped to maintain demand,” said Ganesh Raj Pandey, product manager at Him Electronics. The company launched a range of new fridges with the latest technology about two months ago. “Demand has soared due to their cost efficiency and the advanced technology used in them like digital inverter compressor that keeps food fresh for a longer period,” said Pandey.Him Electronics also rolled out air conditioners a few months ago. “Despite being new in the air conditioner market, we are highly encouraged by the brisk sales,” Pandey said. Triveni Byapar Company, which deals in home appliances from brands like Yasuda, Panasonic and Daewoo, has also reported a rise in business. “We are witnessing over 30 percent growth in demand for small air conditioners and air coolers that can be used for household purposes,” said Siddhartha Singhania, head of Triveni Byapar. Meanwhile, traders said that prices of home appliance could grow up to 15 percent shortly due to a stronger US dollar. Pandey of Him Electronics said they had not raised the rates despite the appreciation in the greenback. “However, prices could rise next month with the new shipments,” he said. Gyawali of CG said prices rose around 12 percent mainly due to the appreciation in the US dollar last year. “However, the impact of the price rise on sales has been negligible.”