AC demand on rise as mercury soars
With the rise in mercury, demand for air conditioners has surged significantly in the domestic market.
Traders say they are witnessing a two-fold increase in the demand. Distributors of global brands such as LG, Samsung, Whirlpool and Mitsubishi, among others, are busy importing the newest and sophisticated machines to cash in on the increasing demand.
According to Kripananda Jha, general manager-sales at CG Electronics, the AC market is growing by around 10 to 15 percent annually. He says costumers, of late, are getting attracted towards ACs as they can be used in all seasons. CG is the sole authorised distributor of LG electronics in Nepal. The company also deals with CG ACs that are assembled in Nepal.
ACs from LG come with capacity ranging from 0.75 tonne to two tonnes. A 0.75-tonne machine costs Rs 45,800, while a one-tonne device is priced at Rs 56,900 and a 1.5-tonne appliance at Rs 73,900. The one having two tonnes capacity can be bought for Rs 82,900. As for the machines from CG, the one with a capacity of 0.75 tonne is priced at Rs 33,900, one tonne at Rs 36,900, 1.5 tonnes at Rs 49,900 and two tonnes at Rs 62,900. All these devices come with one-year warranty.
“We are receiving orders from hospitals, banks, factories and other corporate offices,” said Jha. “However, the number of customers seeking ACs for household purpose is very low. People have a misconception that ACs are meant for offices and high-class people.”
According to Jha, CG is one of the leading AC distributors in Nepal. “The current demand stands at 7,000-10,000 units per year. With LG and CG together, we hold a 40 percent market share in the segment,” said Jha.
Him Electronics, authorised distributor of Samsung Electronics in Nepal, has also featured a wide variety of ACs from Samsung. Besides Samsung, Him also distributes machines from Aux.
In Samsung category, Him features four variants of split ACs that are categorised under basic and premium segment. A basic Samsung AC having a capacity of 0.75 tonne costs Rs 36,250; a one-tonne device Rs 40,500; 1.5-tonnes appliance Rs 56,250 and two tonnes Rs 70,000. Premium models with the same capacities are priced at Rs 38,610, Rs 45,900, Rs 62,900 and Rs 78,900, respectively.
As for machines from Aux, Him offers three variants of ceiling suspended air conditioners. The machines having capacity of two, three and four tonnes are priced at Rs 77,000, Rs 110,500 and Rs 125,000, respectively. Similarly, Aux ceiling cassette air conditioners with capacity of two tonnes, three tonnes, 3.5 tonnes and four tonnes are priced at Rs 114,900, Rs 139,000, Rs 144,900 and Rs 156,900 respectively. Him offers a two-year warranty on all its products. A majority of Him’s customers are corporate offices and industries. “Corporate houses are our major customers,” said an employee at Him Electronics. “The demand has increased by almost 100 percent and we are finding it difficult to meet the demand.”
Posted on: 2011-06-03 08:43
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