



India's consumer durable makers are betting on the heat. Costs may spoil the party
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: India’s consumer durables makers have begun the current fiscal with cautious optimism, betting on a stronger summer and early demand recovery after a bruising FY26 marked by erratic weather, raw material inflation, supply-chain disruptions and weak operating leverage.“We remain cautiously optimistic about the prospects for FY27,” Nikhil Sohoni, chief financial officer, Blue Star Ltd, said during the company’s Q4 earnings call, while cautioning that rising input costs and volatile exchange rates would make managing margins challenging.Expectations of a stronger summer have lifted sentiment, helped by a weak FY26 base and demand strength in March–May. March was one of Voltas’s highest-ever sales months, while April and May also saw strong dealer-level sales.The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a harsher summer and below-normal monsoon amid emerging El Niño conditions.
Last week, it said heatwave conditions were likely to intensify across large parts of north-west, central and western India over the coming days.For consumer durables makers, however, demand remains closely tied to volatile weather patterns that have repeatedly disrupted sales in recent years.India’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning market is projected to grow about 15% annually, with residential air conditioner sales expected to reach 30 million units by 2030, according to industry estimates.Blue Star reported a 3.5% year-on-year rise in FY26 consolidated income to ₹12,463.9 crore, but net profit fell to ₹527.3 crore from ₹591.3 crore a year earlier. Voltas reported a sharper slowdown, with total income falling to ₹14,483 crore from ₹15,737 crore in FY25, while net profit dropped to ₹370
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