SEASON'S TIDINGS

The festive season was bright for automakers and realtors, but sales in certain consumer goods segments remained flat

- ARNAB DUTTA

IT'S THAT HEADY time of the year when manufacturers line up offers to lure customers who are generally easier with their wallets, thanks to a string of festivals, in anticipation of bumper sales in the run-up to the end of the calendar year. While a majority of them from makers of washing machines and television sets to two-wheelers and passenger cars have reported a festive boost, this season has left some high and dry.

During the 40-odd-day festive period between early October and mid-November-while sales of automobiles and television sets surged significantly, categories like home appliances remained flat.

Take the country's vast automotive sector, for instance. After touching a new high in 2022, sales surged to a new record of about 3.8 million units in the festive season, up from some 3.2 million in the corresponding period last year. While the two-wheeler segment the largest in terms of number of units sold-has been a major cause of concern for most manufacturers, with rural consumers shying away from purchases, this time it was this segment that drove the growth of the sector, says Manish Raj Singhania, President of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA).