Of the two types of AC widely sold in the market, traders said the sales of wall mount AC, which are fixed on the wall, has spiked considerably compared to split ACs that are fixed on ceiling. [break]
“We are presently selling 25 units of AC of different types in a month. This is a very encouraging figure as sales in the past hovered around 5 to 6 units in a month," said Manoj Sharma of Namaste Electronics, New Road.
"The good thing is our business is doing well despite the rise in prices,” said Sharma. He has brought in more ACs following the good response from consumers. "We are also planning to introduce Samsung´s AC within a few days," he told Republica.
Namaste Electronics offers ACs of varying sizes manufactured by companies like Force and Whirlpool. The ACs produced by Force of 1 ton, 1.5 tons and 2 tons are available in the range of Rs 40,000 to Rs 68,000, while Whirlpool ACs of same sizes cost between Rs 50,000 and Rs 78, 000. “Prices vary depending on the brand, materials used on it and the sizes” said Sharma.
Shreeram Thapaliya, sales manager of Jumbo Electronics that deals in Beko, Aux, Haier and Chigo, said that the prices of the ACs have become dearer by more than Rs 1,000 per unit in the local market. "We were forced to raise the prices as devaluation of Nepali rupee and hike in the prices by the manufactures have rendered the import expensive," he stated, adding that the prices of ACs have gone up across the globe.
Moreover, considering the power crisis in the country, Jumbo Electronics has introduced ´inverter series´ of Beko, Aux and Haier ACs that consume around 35 percent less electricity compared to other ACs.
The price of Beko ACs of different sizes ranges from Rs 45,000 to Rs 84,357. Similarly, the costs of Aux AC range from Rs 37,500 to Rs 70,000, while Haier ACs are priced between Rs 35,000 to Rs 60,000 depending on the sizes.
Thapaliya said that housing companies, business houses, hotels, restaurants and high-end families form the largest chunk of their buyers. Both Jumbo Electronics and Namaste Electronics have offered 20 percent discount on all the brands they deal in.
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