TV set sale boom is on

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33963, 2 October 1975, Page 1

TV set sale boom is on

Devaluation has sparked a boom in sales of colour television sets, which are likely to rise in price by up to 20 per cent after Christmas. One Christchurch retailer said yesterday that sales had tripled in the last five weeks. Others reported a heavy increase in demand, and long waiting lists for popular makes. The demand for colour sets has always been steady, |>ut in the last few weeks some retailers have found the supply from manufacturers inadequate. “The popular makes are being delivered in dribs and drabs, and the sets are snapped up as soon as they arrive,” the manager of one retail firm said. He said that his company had “given up hope” of being able to meet the demand. "I am convinced that the

manufacturers concentrate on filling orders in the North Island before they worry about us,” he said. Christchurch customers can expect to wait up to three months for any popular make of colour set, and from three to six months for console models. The manufacturer of one brand has guaranteed that the price of its product will not rise before Christmas, but most retailers regard a price increase after that as inevitable. The size of the increase was estimated yesterday at anything from “about $100” to “as much as 20 per cent.” A 20 per cent rise would boost the retail price of most sets to between $9OO and $lOOO. Local retailers have received no notification of increased prices from the manufacturers of colour sets. This is in the hands of the Minister of Trade and Industry (Mr Freer), who is expected to make an announcement soon.