NEW DELHI: Home appliances player Godrej Appliances today launched new products and aims to reach full production facility from August onwards.

The company shared that the pandemic has impacted badly the sales figures and the company reported a revenue loss of 40-45 per cent. April was a complete washout as there was no business.

Godrej Appliance business head and executive VP Kamal Nandi said, “Sales in May were at 30-35 per cent on average, while in June it is already at last year's level. 95-97 per cent market has begun which is encouraging for the industry we will reach 80 per cent capacity in July and full capacity from August. Godrej Appliances said sales in May was at 35-40 per cent of last year, while in June it is already at last year's level. Industry too has reached 90 per cent of pre-Covid2019 level sales. We expect sales will improve from July onwards and will be better than pre-Covid2019 till the festive season. We expect to reach 80 per cent capacity in July and full capacity from August."

He also shared that the last two months saw a demand for cooling products.

Nandi explained that the self-reliance campaign by the government will boost confidence among manufacturers, “The #MakeinIndia, and vocal for local will bring opportunities not only for local players to establish but will help big players as well in terms of doing business and it will enhance manufacturing, which will lead to more demands.”

He added that manufacturing, logistics and services were affected in the lockdown. Godrej Appliances faced issues on the service front as customers are not allowing mechanics to enter their homes. So, it is helping customers to do the product services by themselves, and at the same time re-building confidence among customers.

Nandi said, “The company has plans to expand into newer categories for products which are in demand right now and there will

be no immediate price hike since commodity prices are stable but any duty changes by the government will have an impact.”

Since the Covid2019 pandemic placed restrictions on large scale gatherings, Godrej Appliances has been the first in the industry to swiftly adapt to launching new products in a virtual format. These zone wise segregated launches were designed to engage with 5000+ trade partners from the comfort of their home.

Godrej Appliances national sales head Sanjeev Jain said, ‘’At the beginning of the lockdown, we took the herculean task of enabling our network of trade partners to reach customers digitally. We have been breaking barriers across all fronts – from product cataloging and showcasing, multiple cashless online payment facilities to initiation of video-assisted remote selling initiative. By exploring alternative ways to communicate and engage, we were able to offer fantastic opportunities to our trade partners. We plan to launch new products across the year across different segments."

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