Blistering heat: City sells Rs1b worth of ACs during heatwave

Shops sell nearly all of the entire summer stock

KARACHI: The sale of split air-conditioners (ACs) and room coolers has seen a dramatic spike during this heatwave with nearly 20,000 units worth Rs1 billion sold in the past four days.

"I have never seen such a high demand for ACs and room coolers in my life," said Karachi Electronics and Small Traders Association president Muhammad Rizwan Irfan. "Shopkeepers have to force their customers to leave their shops when it is closing time and, in many cases, shops are open till late into the night."

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The electronic shops have sold nearly all of their summer stock in just the past four days when the mercury rose to 44 degrees Celsius. The most popular kind was a one-ton capacity split AC and is in short supply now, said Irfan.

To keep up their image, prominent electronic dealers are selling ACs at company rates while others are selling at a premium. The dealers are making an average of Rs4,000 to Rs5,000 on each sale, he added. The warehouses are, however, empty now as people have purchased even the ACs on display.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2015.