HOME improvement retailer Dunn’s Electrical and Hardware Limited is expanding its footprint in the appliance market with the introduction of its new line of air conditioning (AC) units, branded DunKool.

Launched earlier this year, the eco-friendly, smart AC units form a key part of Dunn’s strategy to become a full-service, one-stop shop home centre. Marketing Manager Natalia Lazarus said the new product line represents a natural evolution for the company.

“We started the year with a new product that has been steadily gaining recognition in the market, as customers continue to trust and support our offerings. We’re known for our tagline: ‘For everything home, consider it Dunn’s’, so of course if we can build your house from foundation to finish — and furnish it — why not also be able to cool it?” Lazarus told the
Jamaica Observer in an interview on Monday.

The DunKool AC units mark the company’s first venture into branded home appliances, but Lazarus hinted that more remains on the horizon.

“In a few years we hope to further expand with additional branded appliances. This is just the first, and we’re excited about how it will help to widen our offerings,” she further said to the Business Observer. “We already have some Dunn’s-branded products in our hardware division — including yard tools such as rakes, wheelbarrows, and shovels — but the plan is to continue adding more specially branded items as we grow.”

Founded in 2009, Dunn’s initially focused on lighting and electrical supplies. Over time, however, the business has diversified its offerings to include plumbing, furniture, hardware and home décor. Moving to capitalise on opportunities in the thriving building and construction industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company also ventured into ready-mix concrete. The privately owned company currently operates retail locations at its flagship megastore on Red Hills Road in St Andrew, along with additional outlets on Slipe Road in Kingston and Portmore in St Catherine.

The DunKool line, backed by a robust marketing campaign launched last month, is strategically timed to capitalise on rising demand for cooling units ahead of the summer heat, Lazarus said.

Competitively priced from approximately $52,000 plus tax for a 12,000 BTU unit, all DunKool models feature inverter technology and are assembled with smart energy-saving functions such as Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing users to control the unit via mobile apps. The units also run in quiet mode and include timer settings for added convenience. Lazarus said the units, manufactured exclusively for Dunn’s by an overseas supplier, are also ISO 9000-certified and rank among the best in heating, cooling and air conditioning appliances (HCAC) systems globally.

“They are some good units, highly suited to tackle the Caribbean heat. In developing these units we took two things into consideration, and those are the strength and power needed to deal with the type of heat we are exposed to in our region. Given the fact that as an island we are surrounded by water, we have also made sure that the condensers are rust-proof,” the marketing manager said, while expressing strong optimism for the growth of the product line for which early customer interest and reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.

“Since the time of launching the units we have been getting a lot of calls about them and have also gotten mostly positive reviews concerning pricing… we therefore implore Jamaicans to buy the products which have been specially designed for our local climate conditions,” she further stated.

In addition to its new AC line, Dunn’s continues to develop its ready-mix concrete business, which caters to clients undertaking both residential and commercial construction projects. Lazarus said the solution, rolled out almost five years ago, continues to enjoy steady growth.

“Customers can bill for this service from any of our locations to have it delivered to them. As a fairly new player in this space we continue to ramp up marketing and branding around this product as we look to increase the use of Dunn’s ready-mix concrete and grow its market share,” she said.