Soccer spells success for TV sales

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The Euro Cup 2012, which began from June 8 and ended today, has left a smile on the faces of television traders. While sellers were encouraged by improved sales, buyers were benefited by the special schemes and discounts on offer.

HIM Electronics Pvt Ltd, authorised distributor of Samsung Electronics, is one of the chief players in this field. Surendra Pokharel, product manager of the company, says, “Although expectations were high, there was an increment of only around 10 per cent in sales.” According to him, Euro Cup has also helped customers save money, as they realise that special occasions are the ideal time to receive discounts. Pokharel informed that during the Euro Cup,

the most popular sets were 32 inches T403 priced at Rs 49,990 and D550 priced at Rs 61,990.

Similarly, Nepal Hima Trade Link Pvt Ltd, the authorised dealer of Nepal for Sony, also witnessed increase in its sales. Santosh Yadav, staff of its showroom at Kantipath, says, “We sell around five units of LCD and LED monitors every day at present.” According

to him, events like World and Euro Cup enthuse customers to enquire about and purchase TVs. He adds, “Customers are assured that we provide them with schemes and

discounts during these occasions.” According to him, the company offered surprise gifts worth above Rs 7,000 on purchase of its Sony LED and LCD tele-vision to six customers every week. The company claims that soccer fans have mostly focused on LED, going for the 40 inch EX520 monitors, priced at Rs 130,000.

Meanwhile, Paramount Electronics, the authorised distributor of Panasonic products for Nepal, claims to have notched up its sales by 30 per cent this soccer season. Bhulat Shrestha, sales executives of the company, says, “We have been targeting middle range customers, who prefer our brand because of its reasonable price.” The company’s most popular TV sets were the 32 inch LCD SKDN, priced at Rs 65,400 and 42 inch plasma TV, priced at Rs 99,600.

Also emphasising on its sales is CG Electronics, the authorised distributor of LG products. Roshit Thapa, senior assistant of LG showroom at Minbhawan, says, “Although the actual data has not arrived, this month we sold one unit per day, while our sales mostly amount to 12 units per month on regular days.” As a special scheme, the company provided five per cent discount and also offered a DVD player on purchase of its TVs above 32 inch. Their highest selling TV was the LG 32LK311, priced at Rs 49,000. Correspondingly, CG digital multi-brand showroom at Chabahil that offers LG, Onida, Toshiba, PCL and CG TVs for sale, also reaped benefits from the Euro Cup. Madhav Malla Thakuri, showroom manager, says, “We estimate to have sold above 45 CG LCDs this past month.”

According to him, their best selling model was CG’s 32CK, priced at Rs 35,490.

Another competent player in the market, Syakar Comp-any, authorised distributor of Philips products, offers a different view to the football frenzy. Indra Man Pradhan, showroom manager of the company at Kantipath, says, “We had high expectations for our TV sales this month. But rather than individual customers seeking TVs, there is a surge in the football clubs looking for projectors.” According to him, although the company provided up to 25 per cent discount on LED monitors, it still had sales below expectations. The company reportedly sold four to five LEDs per day throughout the Euro Cup month, while earlier it sold two of them each day. Pradhan says, “Our most popular TV set was the 32 inch LCD, priced at Rs 40,853, which is also the most affordable one.”