JEDDAH, 23 August 2003 — As the summer heat peaks at the beginning of July, it ushers in a boom of air-conditioner sales and maintenance. “By the beginning of July people really start to feel the heat and the humidity, so they are looking for air-conditioners that make their summer as cool as possible,” Aziz, a manager in a Jeddah air-conditioning company, told Arab News.
“We have customers who change their ACs every two or three years, especially if they have window units.”
Jeddah residents change not only their units but also the brand with great frequency, he said. “They are very brand-conscious. They ask about the differences between new and old brands,” he said.
What are the most popular brands? “In the last five years, Korean AC was popular, but now the Japanese ACs are back. Many people insist on Japanese brands.”
Maintenance is also big business. The tabreed (cooling) shops are a familiar sight, with often more than one shop on any street. “During the summer, we are swamped with calls from our customers asking for their ACs to be washed or fixed,” said Ahmed, an employee in a tabreed shop in the Salaama District. “Sometimes we do more than 10-15 units a day, but once the worst of the heat is over, things go back to normal,” he added.