The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast early summer-like conditions to hit parts of India including the west and north. It has, however, warned of intermittent rains. These heat-like conditions are already visible in cities such as Mumbai and Delhi, where temperatures have been rising in recent days.
While this spells good news for makers of summer products such as ice creams, cooling products (ACs/fridges/coolers), beverages, talcs and cooling oils, top executives at these firms remain cautious after last year’s weak summer sales. AC sales, for instance, declined by 25-30% in the summer of 2025 due to unseasonal rains and cool weather conditions.
Recovery Mode
Most AC makers were also saddled with excess inventory for months together due to the weak first half in 2025. Ice-cream makers such as Amul say they are accelerating retail rollouts to catch the early onset of summer. “There is a pattern emerging with the weather as the summer season tends to start early. Retail rollouts are happening now to catch the season early,” Jayen Mehta, MD, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the maker of Amul, said.
This year, durable makers such as Haier and LG Electronics say they are focusing their attention on better inventory management to avoid the pitfalls of last year.
“We would push inventory into markets such as the south, which were traditonally the first off the block to get started with summer sales. This year, we are paying attention to where the heat wave is stronger,” NS Satish, president, Haier Appliances India, said.
LG Electronics India’s co-chief sales and marketing officer Sanjay Chitkara said that he saw AC inventory normalising after last year’s glut. Speaking to investors, he said that channel partners were anticipating a stronger summer season this year versus last year.
LG is the number two players in room air conditioners after Voltas, according to industry experts. Both LG as well as Voltas, according to industry sources, have put stronger channel checks in place to quickly recalibrate inventory needs in the event of weather uncertainty.
Cautious Optimism
Beverage makers such as Dabur, Varun Beverages and Tata Consumer say they remain cautiously optimistic after last year’s weak beverage sales. “Better heat wave conditions are no doubt good for beverage sales. But this year, we haven’t begun loading stock into trade to avoid the situation of excess inventory if the season is not favourable. We are talking to distributors and keeping our ears to the ground,” Mohit Malhotra, Global CEO, Dabur, said.
Tata Consumer’s MD & CEO Sunil D’Souza said that the company remained focused on execution even as it keeps an eye on weather conditions. “We have increased distribution and are launching more products, including in ready-to-drink tea and coffee,” he said.
Emami, which is best-known for its cooling oils such as Navratna and talcum powders such as Navratna talc and Dermicool, said extended winter conditions were a concern, prompting the firm to keep its trade pipeline thin for now.
“We have to load cooling oils and talcs in February and March to catch the summer season. While the momentum looks good so far, especially in rural areas, dealers are holding lower stocks this year. We are confident of building it up as the summer season kicks in,” Mohan Goenka, vice-chairman, Emami, said.