Wednesday 31 December 2025 – 07:09 AM
George Zakaria, Head of the Electrical and Home Appliances Division at the Giza Chamber of Commerce, confirmed that the recession prevailing in… Markets Currently, it is a natural result of consumers reaching the “saturation” stage, after the waves of random purchases witnessed in 2023. Zakaria explained that many Egyptian families had previously tended to store devices for fear of price fluctuations, preferring to invest their savings in durable goods instead of savings containers, which led to a decline in current demand despite the 20% drop in prices and the presence of wide offers and discounts.
Zakaria pointed out that the large gap between the prices of electrical appliances and the income levels of the Egyptian citizen still represents the biggest obstacle to the recovery of sales, especially in “lifeline” goods such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners. He pointed out that the air conditioning sector is witnessing an additional stagnation related to seasonal factors and the winter season, as the Egyptian consumer always prefers to buy at peak times, despite the efforts made by the Egyptian factories that increased their production capacity and began to invade the Gulf markets and abroad with the “Made in Egypt” label.
The challenges of 2026 and the copper exchange shock
Speaking about the prospects for 2026, the head of the division expressed his cautious optimism, revealing an unexpected shock in global raw materials prices. The price of a ton of copper jumped on global stock exchanges to reach $12,900 (equivalent to about 600,000 Egyptian pounds), which threatens efforts to reduce prices locally. Zakaria explained that this rise in the cost of raw materials may push prices to rise again, aborting plans to reduce prices by an additional 10-20% that he had hoped to achieve.
An appeal to manufacturers to strike a balance
George Zakaria concluded his statements with an urgent appeal to Egyptian manufacturers to review their pricing policies and adhere to the maximum degree of restraint in profit margins during the coming period. He stressed that manufacturers joining forces to absorb part of the shock of the rise in global raw materials is the only way to create balance in the local market, ensure the citizen’s ability to meet his basic needs for home appliances, and maintain the continuity of the wheel of production and sales in light of the current challenges.
