Samsung India aims 35 pc refrigerator market share in H1 2020

Samsung India on Wednesday said that it grabbed 33.9 per cent market share in the second half of 2019 to become the top refrigerator player in India and aims to secure 35 per cent market share in the first half of 2020 as demand from small-town India grows in leaps and bounds.

According to Raju Pullan, Senior Vice President, Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung India, the feat has been achieved across models and the new range of refrigerators provides meaningful 'Make for India' innovations that not only offer more storage space but are engineered to consume less energy.

"We achieved the top slot in the Indian market in H2 2019 with securing 33.9 per cent market share. With the new range, we expect to garner 35 per cent market share in the first half of this year," Pullan told IANS.

The company on Wednesday introduced India's first frost-free refrigerator with base stand drawer, in which people can store non-perishable items, and five-star direct cool single door refrigerator line-up based on new 2020 Star Ratings - apart from the Curd Maestro refrigerator that will not just preserve food but also prepare it.

"We now see great demand coming from smaller towns, tier II and tier III cities, where people want more storage in refrigerators. Our new range is an attempt to address those needs," said Pullan.

The frost-free refrigerator with base stand drawer gives it a tall-boy design preferred by Indian consumers.

Catering to the need for varied designs and patterns, the line-up will be available in new design patterns, in 253-litre capacity.

The five-star direct cool single-door refrigerators are in line with new 2020 Energy norms with capacity of 198 litres.

A solution to long power cuts, the model comes equipped with digital inverter technology allowing the refrigerator to run on a home inverter as well as solar energy with reduced power consumption.

The new line-up comes with 10-year warranty on the compressor and digital inverter technology with stabiliser-free operations.

"The 2020 line-up is uniquely designed for extra space and also sports the next-gen horizontal curve door design along with the 'GARO' handle, a first for the Indian market," informed Pullan.

The new refrigerator line-up is available across retail channels and on Samsung Shop and will range from Rs 17,990 for the new 198 litre direct cool single-door refrigerator and Rs 45,990 for the smart convertible 5-in-1 model.

Curd Maestro models will be priced between Rs 30,990 and Rs 45,990, said the company.