Pollution casts a cloud over restaurants, but brings cheer to air purifier makers

New Delhi: The pollution economy is resulting in big losses for some categories, while others are seeing a double-digit surge in demand.

The toxic air in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and, to an extent, Mumbai is dampening dine-in sales at restaurants and bars in what is peak festive season, with chains reporting up to 30% decline in dine-ins from the year earlier. The sale of masks and air purifiers for homes and cars has shot up 70-100%, according to various executives.

Dhanteras is on November 10 and Diwali on November 12.

Rohit Aggarwal, director at Lite Bite Foods, which operates Punjab Grill and Zambar, said there's been a 25% decline in sales across the Delhi-NCR region in the past week compared with last season on account of deteriorating air quality. Aggarwal, an avid walker himself, says he hasn't ventured out in the past few days because of the drastic surge in the air quality index (AQI). The AQI has been ruling at 400-500 over the past few days in Delhi-NCR, persisting above 'severe'.

Unlike last year, when Diwali was in October, this year it's coinciding with stubble-burning season, lower temperatures and weak breezes, all of which result in still air and higher pollution.

Anjan Chatterjee, managing director at Speciality Restaurants that operates fine-dining restaurant chains such as Mainland China and Oh! Calcutta, said the chain has observed a decline in dine-ins, with people shifting to deliveries and house parties as they have been hesitant to step out in the past four-five days. "Usually, the festive spirit overcomes issues like pollution" he said. "But this year, the AQI has been extraordinarily bad and there's very high consumer awareness about the issue."

That's also leading to the launch of air purifiers that claim greater proficiency.

Clean air solutions company Nirvana Being said on Monday it has introduced a micro-electrostatic precipitator air sterilising purifier which also delivers "remarkable energy efficiency". Jai Dhar Gupta, founder of Nirvana Being, said: "The MESP air sterilising purifier is a new paradigm in portable air purification this Diwali."

Others in the hospitality industry said the saving grace has been the ongoing cricket World Cup, which is drawing people to live screenings in pubs, specially on India match days.

"Mall-based outlets are compensating as consumers are watching live matches during this cricket and Diwali season," said Rahul Singh, founder of Beer Cafe, which is now part of B9 Beverages-owned Bira91 and one of the main sponsors of the ICC World Cup.

"High-street locations with outdoor areas have witnessed footfall drop due to the deteriorating air pollution," he said.

Anxious citizens are splurging on air purifiers for homes and cars, demand for which, companies said, is up as much as 70% over the same time last year.

"We are seeing a spike in sales especially in the north region surging by 16% in the first week of November," said Ajay Khanna, chief marketing officer at direct selling company Amway. "Sales of replacement filters of our home purifiers and car purifiers have gone up by a remarkable 69% in the first week of November this year in comparison to November last year."

Sales of masks, which had come to a standstill in the past year, have once again shot up and some Delhi-NCR pockets have seen a surge for them in the past week, said Prasad Danave, president, Retailers and Distributors Chemist Association.

Food delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato, meanwhile, are trying to do their bit, urging delivery workers to mask up and looking to get more of them on electric two-wheelers, said people with knowledge of the matter. Swiggy is also distributing masks to their workforce.