With the onset of winter, residential air-purifier companies expect to clock a strong double-digit growth this year. Though still a niche segment in terms of size, air-purifiers witness a seasonal demand surge during winter in North India, especially in Delhi-NCR, due to higher pollution levels.
“With the situation worsening over the past few weeks in North India, we have registered a 50 per cent growth in sales compared to same period last year,” said Mahesh Gupta, Chairman, Kent RO Systems Ltd. “We expect this momentum to continue till the end of winter.”
“The air-purifiers segment is not just restricted to Delhi-NCR. We also see demand from UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Rajasthan,” he added. Amway India, which entered the segment last month, aims to garner revenues of about ₹100 crore in sales and grab a market share of 20 per cent by 2020. Ajay Khanna, Vice-President, Wellness, Amway India, said: “With our presence across India with over 5,50,000 direct sellers, Amway is witnessing strong demand and uptake from tier 1 and 2 markets.”
Rakesh Kaul, CEO & Whole Time Director, Somany Home Innovation Ltd, said the company expects to see 100 per cent growth in air-purifiers this fiscal. “There is a growing consciousness among consumers about the ill-effects of rising pollution levels and this has greatly increased the spends on health and wellness products. Also, factors such increase in disposable income, rapid urbanisation and growing incidence of respiratory diseases are adding to this momentum,” he said.
The organised retail chains, besides the e-commerce channel, are driving a large chunk of these sales. Per industry estimates, in 2018, the air-purifier segment was pegged at about ₹312 crore. It is expected to grow to about ₹900 crore by 2023. Despite the small size of the business, more players are expected to enter it. Havells India, which had exited the market four years ago, plans to to re-launch its range of air-purifiers later this year.
Sharp’s President of Consumer Electronics Business, Kishalay Ray, said: “We have witnessed a strong surge in air-purifier sales in the last two days alone.” He added that the room air-purifier base in India is fairly small, pegged at about 250,000 units last fiscal. Purchases are primarily driven by outdoor pollution.
An HUL spokesperson said that with increasing awareness on air pollution, the company is seeing continued growth in demand for its Blueair purifiers portfolio. “With the launch of the affordable yet powerful Joy S, we have extended our solutions to a wider consumer group aspiring for Blueair’s unique HepaSilent technology,” the spokesperson added.
Sources said that though the industry is seeing volumes increase, it is not yet resulting in strong revenue growth for the players.