As a searing heatwave grips large parts of the country, makers of ice creams, air-conditioners and beverages are witnessing a sharp rebound in demand, fuelling hopes of a stronger-than-expected summer season after an initially sluggish start caused by unseasonal rains and relatively cooler temperatures.

Companies across categories said consumption trends have accelerated significantly in May, with quick commerce emerging as a major driver for impulse and immediate consumption purchases.

“We now expect demand growth across key categories to surpass our earlier estimates of 30 per cent for the season,” said Jayatheertha Chary, Managing Director, Mother Dairy. “On quick commerce platforms alone, ice cream volumes have more than doubled over the last 10 days compared to the preceding 10-day period, while fresh dairy products have registered strong double-digit growth during the same period,” he added.

Debabrata Mukherjee, MD, Lotte Ice Creams, said the company is seeing broad-based growth across both impulse and take-home formats. “Summer is here in full throttle and demand is on an upsurge. Categories such as cones, sticks and single-serve cups are seeing accelerated off-take, especially driven by quick commerce and immediate consumption occasions,” he said.

For the air-conditioner industry, this summer is crucial after weak sales last year due to erratic weather conditions. The sector had also taken price hikes in April to partly offset higher raw material costs and rupee depreciation.

NS Satish, CEO of Haier Appliances India, said demand has now strengthened across regions. “Demand has now picked up even in Northern and Western regions, while Southern region demand trends remain strong. We have seen a growth of about 35 per cent this month so far. The overall industry is also expected to end the season on a positive note compared to last year,” he said. Sanjay Chitkara, Director & Co-CSMO, LG Electronics India, said the company expects strong growth in air-conditioner sales in the ongoing quarter amid robust demand trends in May. Beverage makers, too, are reporting a sharp uptick in sales as temperatures climb.

During the Q1 FY26 earnings call, Ravi Jaipuria, Chairman of Varun Beverages, said summer demand trends were turning highly favourable.

“Summer looks to be very good. A month has already passed, and the trends are looking very positive. If the weather continues like this, there is no reason why we should not perform extremely well,” he said. “Dairy is growing at 60-70 per cent, Nimbooz is also doing at a great pace,

Tropicana PET is growing at more than 100 per cent. Even our energy drink in cans is doing very well. The new mid-priced energy drink we launched at ₹60, ‘Adrenaline Rush’, is performing extremely well,” he added.

Published on May 24, 2026