Voltas, Blue Star, Havells India: Consumer durable stocks mixed as appliance prices rise from October 1

Shares of consumer durable companies such as Voltas, Blue Star and Havells India, among others, were mixed in the early trade on Monday, September 28, after leading appliance and consumer electronics makers announced another round of price hikes from October 1.

Air conditioners, LED TVs, washing machines and other consumer durable products are set to become 5–8% more expensive as manufacturers look to offset sustained increases in key input costs, including copper, aluminium, steel and crude oil derivatives, along with higher freight costs and currency volatility.

This marks the third round of price hikes by the industry in 2026 and comes just ahead of the peak festive season, raising the focus on how higher prices could affect consumer demand and sales volumes while helping companies offset cost pressures.

Details to know

While some companies fear the hike could affect festive demand, others believe the impact will be limited, as dealers and distributors have already stocked inventory bought at older prices through pre-buying schemes in August and September.

Companies like Blue Star, Godrej Appliance, Haier, Daikin, and Super Plastronics have already announced or confirmed price hikes ranging from 4-10% across categories, while Panasonic said it was still evaluating the situation before deciding on any increase.

How stocks are faring

At 09:30 AM, Voltas was trading 1% higher at ₹1,129.50 on the NSE, while Blue Star was up 0.91% at ₹1,579. Havells India, however, was down over 1% at ₹1,083.90. LG Electronics India was down 0.39% at ₹1,718.60 on the NSE. Whirlpool Of India shares were also down 2.76% at ₹893.50 apiece on the NSE.

Bosch Home Comfort India shares were trading 2.38% higher at ₹1,854.80 apiece on the NSE.

What industry leaders said

Blue Star managing director B Thiagarajan said prices of ACs and deep freezers have already increased by 5-8% due to higher commodity costs.

"All the commodity prices have been going up because of the war. Copper, steel and plastics have all become costlier," Thiagarajan said, adding that this is the third price increase undertaken by the company this year.

Comparing prices with last year's festive season, Thiagarajan said costs have risen around 15%, but with GST benefits of about 10% now available to consumers, the net impact for buyers would work out to roughly 5% more.

Kamal Nandi, business head and executive vice president, Appliances Business, Godrej Enterprises Group, said another industry-wide round of price increases has become 'inevitable' after commodity prices rose 8-10% since the last revision.

"Price hikes of 5-7% across categories will happen. The timing may differ from brand to brand, with some implementing it from October and others from November, but it has to happen," Nandi said.

However, Nandi also said consumers would still have an opportunity to buy products at existing prices during the festive season as inventory procured before the hikes remains available in the distribution channel.

"There are pipelines which will last for about a month to one-and-a-half months. Diwali should largely get covered with old-price inventory. Post-Diwali, the new prices will certainly take effect," Nandi added.