Voltas sells 1 million units in 81 days as India sizzles

MUMBAI: Voltas entered the new financial year on a strong footing, with its room air conditioning business crossing the milestone of one million units in a record 81 days, chairman Noel Tata said Tuesday at what marked his final annual general meeting as chairman of the Tata Group’s consumer durables company. The business sold more than 22 lakh units in FY2026, with March alone accounting for over 5 lakh units — the strongest singlemonth sales in the company’s history. Its Chennai facility, India’s largest integrated room AC plant, continued to scale through the year. “I have great satisfaction that Voltas stands strong today,” Noel said. Noel, 69, steps down as chairman in Nov, tied to his upcoming 70th birthday, a retirement threshold the group has applied to non-executive directors. He joined the Voltas board in Jan 2003 and was appointed chairman in Sept 2017, succeeding Ishaat Hussain. Trent held its AGM last week, which also marked Noel’s last AGM as chairman of the retailer. In the broader durables business, VoltBek, a JV with Turkey’s Arcelik, posted double-digit volume growth in FY2026, with sales of washing machines, refrigerators and other appliances crossing 33 lakh units. Noel said VoltBek had compounded at more than 30% annually over five years and now ranks second in the semi-automatic washing machine segment, with 14.5% market share. Noel also pointed to Voltas’ leadership bench, saying the “close cooperation of seasoned practitioners and new talent” will help the company continue to take “big strides in all business segments.”