Sales of electric cooktops sizzle as LPG flameout worries families

Amid the LPG shortage across the country owing to the war in West Asia, e-commerce platforms and retailers in major cities have seen a surge in demand for induction cooktops as people look for replacements due to the gas supply disruption.

While prices for electric cooktops have gone up, supplies largely remained available on e-commerce platforms and retail stores though the inventory is going down at a fast clip.

Weighing in on the increase in demand, Rajendra Gandhi, Managing Director of Stovekraft, a home appliance company which owns cookware brand Pigeon, said the firm is seeing a four-fold spike in the average weekly sales of induction cooktops in e-commerce channels since the beginning of the ongoing tensions.

“We currently manufacture around two lakh units of induction cooktops at our manufacturing facility in Harohalli, Karnataka and plan to ramp this up in the coming financial year,” he said.

In Mumbai, the price of induction cooktops from various brands like Pigeon and Prestige have risen between 10% to 30% since 2024 at retail stores.

Depleting stocks

Several home appliance stores in Chennai said they have run out of stock of cooktops. Showrooms in the city’s Anna Salai, Adyar, Choolaimedu and T. Nagar areas were ready to take orders for a home delivery only the following day. Some of the shops, which continued to hold stock, said they reported a sharp spike in sales over the last two days.

Amudha Sundar, a Chennai resident, attempted to buy an induction cooktop on Tuesday, but her efforts proved futile. On Wednesday morning, she and her son drove down to a store located far away from her residence and finally purchased the cooktop. Many such residents said they are hurrying to buy induction cooktops as a back-up plan in case they run out of gas cylinders at home.

A. Rayappa, who runs an appliance store, said over 100 induction cooktops were sold in the last two days. “This is unprecedented. I have not seen this before. I have already placed orders for the coming day but the dealers are gradually increasing the prices,” he added.

S. Alarmelmangai, a resident, said her LPG cylinder usually lasts a month for their family of six, including senior citizens and her children. “The existing cylinder has been in use for the last 21 days now. I tried to book one a few days ago and did not get any message. So, I did not want to take a chance and bought an induction cooktop yesterday for ₹2,000. It is expensive but I am left with no choice. We need to have a fallback plan,” she added.

S. Jayaprakash, an appliance store owner in Chennai, said in the last two years, the sale of induction cooktops was not high. “But now in the last two days, 40 have been sold from the store. These cooktops are available in the ₹1,500-₹3,500 range. I have been placing orders with manufacturers and they have promised to deliver stocks in four days,” he added.

J. Sathish, Managing Partner in J. Engineering Agencies that sells kitchen appliances in Coimbatore, said demand for single and double burner induction stoves have more than doubled. “The brand is not an issue for the consumers today. The demand has spiked for online and offline sales. We used to sell five to six units a day and now sell 12-13 units,” he said.

According to Sathish Nair, chairman of EssEmm Corporation, which makes kitchen appliances, institutional customers are buying whatever product is available. “Almost 95% of our appliances run on electricity. Customers are today buying in panic. They are taking whatever is available with us. A large part of our stock is for customised projects. Of the remaining, 30% to 40% is exhausted. Our working capital requirement has spiralled as we need to step up production,” he said.

A Delhi-based leading domestic kitchen appliance manufacturer, who did not want to be identified, said there is a lot of inventory in the pipeline and the manufacturer was yet to feel the impact of the spike in demand for electric kettles or such appliances.

The prices of induction stoves in Kolkata have shot up by at least ₹400 to ₹500 in the past few days. Several distributors and retailers dealing with these cooktops said that they have witnessed a three-fold increase in the demand for the appliance.

A prominent retail chain selling induction stoves in Kolkata said that from selling 40 to 50 induction stoves in a day, the daily sales have picked up to about 130 to 150 daily since the start of the week.

Mud ovens being sold

Locally-made stove oven shops and outlets selling earthen mud ovens have also cropped up across the city. People are also flocking to buy coal and kerosene to keep the small eateries and household kitchens running.

Mohammad Shabir, who has a shop in Chandni Chowk locality in Patna, said induction stoves and electric cookers are selling at high demand and people are purchasing the appliances without bargaining for the price.

“Due to the shortage of LPG cylinders, people are now buying electric cooking stoves. Today, I sold 25 induction stoves which is the highest ever for my shop. Now, I am also running out of stock and have asked my supplier to deliver it as soon as possible to meet the demands,” Mr. Shabir said.

Bipin Pandey, who works at an appliance in Indira Nagar, Lucknow, is jubilant as his business has shot up. He attributes the good fortunes to the rise in demand of induction stoves. “In the last five days, I sold 25 units of induction stoves, leading to good profit. It is a good time for us during off-season,” said Mr. Pandey.

Supply constraint in Guwahati

Sales of induction stoves and microwave ovens have jumped by at least 50% since the government issued a gas supply alert owing to the war in West Asia a few days ago. On the flip side, there is a shortage of these kitchen appliances in Guwahati, the economic hub of the Northeast, as the appliances available with manufacturers and dealers are being sold at an unprecedented rate in the metropolises and other “mainland” cities.

“We are selling about 15-16 pieces of induction stoves and microwaves compared to 9-10 a week ago. But the main issue is that we are running out of stock, and the companies are unable to dispatch their products because the demand in and around production centres is too high,” Aloy Bharali of Bharali Brothers, one of the oldest dealers of appliances and electronic goods, said.

Sanjay Gupta, the owner of Isha Metals, one of the biggest cookware shops in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, said that sales and product enquiries for induction cooktops have gone up in the past few days. “From a daily average of five to six units sold, we are selling about 15 for the past four five days. Customers say that they want to keep a handy back-up option in case LPG cylinders are not available,” said Mr. Gupta.

At an inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi, a senior official of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said the country’s production of LPG has increased 25% since the government instituted the supply maintenance order on March 8.