KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — With the football World Cup just three weeks away, bigger and better television units are being snapped up by an excited public not wanting to miss out on the world’s greatest sport event.

Major electrical appliance stores nationwide are riding on the World Cup fever, promoting the latest big-screen televisions at their outlets since the beginning of the month.

Harvey Norman Malaysia’s “Big Game — Great Deals” promotion has seen a record-breaking 40 per cent increase in sales, surpassing its yearly sales target. 

The promotion for television and home entertainment systems started on May 12 and will end on June 20. The World Cup begins in Brazil on June 12.

Senior sales consultant R. Pusparaju, 41, said the sale of big-screen TVs with sizes ranging from 50 inches and above had gone up.

“Technology has become a fad with audio visual enthusiasts, and everyone wants a piece of high-definition action, especially during the World Cup,” he said.

“While the last World Cup was all about acquiring standard-sized televisions, ranging from 35-inch to 47-inch displays, this year everyone is upgrading to larger screens.

“Weekends have been crazy for us, as popular brand such as Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, Sharp and LG have recently introduced next-generation technology.”

Pusparaju said the general demand of consumers was heavily leaning towards technological improvements on display. 

“3D-enabled televisions are selling well, especially during promotions due to the fact that pay-TV services in Malaysia are offering dedicated channels for the upcoming matches,” he said.

“Of course, it also depends on customers’ needs. Our sales consultants advise customers on the normalities of purchasing large-screen displays. You need to have the right amount of space and distance to experience these displays at optimum.”

He said Harvey Norman was offering discounts ranging from 10 per cent to 15 per cent storewide on televisions and home entertainment systems during the promotion.

Industry veteran Tan Boon Ming (TBM) Sdn Bhd in Jalan Kelang Lama has also joined the bandwagon. Sales manager Vincent Lee said their outlets had made an excess of 20 per cent in sales revenue during the World Cup promotions.

He said the amount of promotional sales in stores were limited this time around.

“Compared to previous World Cup promotions, this year there doesn’t seem to be many promotions. This is because people are now opting to upgrade their existing big-screen displays to 50 inch and above,” he said.

Lee said the store was offering big-screen displays of 50 inches and above starting from RM3,000 to RM99,000. 

“At the moment, there are not too many customers but we’re preparing for last-minute customers. So far, the turnover of stocks for big-screen display televisions in 60 inches is between 10 and 25 per cent,” he said.

Senheng, Malaysia’s largest electrical retail chain, is not new to promoting items during major sporting events such as the World Cup as it holds promotions every quarter of the year. 

Then Set Yee, head of the company’s merchandising division, said it was currently running a Fifa World Cup promotion, offering big-screen displays. 

“We have had a 20 per cent sales increase in displays 50 inches and above and we’re expecting more,” she said.

“In previous World Cup promotions, the demand for larger-screen displays was lower as consumers acquired displays below the 50-inch region. Today, everyone is upgrading to bigger displays and we’re helping to cater to their needs.”

Shopper Hassnar Ibrahim, 63, said the sporting seasons was the best time to grab a large-screen display for a fraction of the cost.

“Everywhere I go, there is a World Cup sale going on and we are spoilt for choice,” he said.

“Some of the large-screen displays are half the cost price during sporting events.”

Hassnar, who has two big-screen sets of 40 inches and 60 inches, is looking to purchase another unit.

Tan Han Keong, 25, is also looking at adding another display to his existing 42-inch television. 

“Although I would love to buy a larger display, I have to consider the space in my house,” he said.

Tan said a reputable brand was one of the major deciding factors for consumers today.

“A good brand will definitely give you your money’s worth as the technology in the displays are often surreal,” he said.

Tan said smart functions like internet- ready features gave consumers an advantage as they could watch the World Cup matches and surf the web for key information during such matches.

“I would rather purchase the latest technology in large-screen displays as the image quality is amazing,” he said.