Food to air conditioners: Consumers press order button as markets reopen

QSRs wanting a slice of lockdown trade to white-collar workers dressing down in athleisure, demand for non-discretionary items has spiked since May 17

If the first three phases of the nationwide lockdown left marketers of non-discretionary products gasping for sales, the fourth phase breathed life into a choked consumer goods segment. 

From fast food and athleisure to air conditioners (ACs), the demand for several non-discretionary items has spiked since May 17, when Lockdown 4.0 was extended till May 31.

Executives at sportswear major Puma India, for instance, are witnessing jump in sales of performance wear and athleisure. 

A majority of white-collar workers — normally bound by dress codes — are not letting the pandemic crimp their style, even as they are trading business trousers for sweatpants