Europe’s record heat sends Chinese fan, AC sales soaring

Wholesale orders and retail exports surge across European markets as buyers opt for portable cooling units due to high electricity costs and installation delays.

SEOUL: A bruising summer heatwave across Europe has triggered an unprecedented surge in the sales and export of Chinese-manufactured cooling appliances. Data from major e-commerce and wholesale channels indicate a sharp spike in emergency procurement, with local distributors rushing to stock up on inventory to counter a prolonged period of extreme regional temperatures.

According to market insights from Alibaba.com, the rush has heavily favoured portable fans over traditional air conditioning systems in six out of eight major European nations surveyed. Wholesale fan orders skyrocketed by 375% in Sweden, 114% in Belgium, and 34% in Switzerland, whilst France logged a 31% increase.

Factors such as historical building layouts, strict modifications clauses in rental properties, high domestic electricity tariffs and lengthy waiting lists for professional installations have boosted the appeal of simpler plug-in fans.

Industry analysts point out that unique structural constraints across European real estate are driving consumers toward these portable alternatives. Spain stood out as the sole exception to this trend, where wholesale orders for air conditioning units grew by 100%, outstripping fan demand.

However, Spanish retail metrics on AliExpress still registered a 94% month-on-month leap in fan sales during mid-June. At the same time, consumer spending on cooling devices and UV-protective apparel doubled in Italy over the same period.

The climate-driven demand has yielded substantial windfalls for prominent Chinese appliance conglomerates, including Midea, Gree Electric, TCL, and Haier. Representatives from Midea reported that its Western European air conditioner sales jumped by more than 70% in the first half of the year, driven largely by its premium portable split models.

Concurrently, Gree Electric logged a year-on-year sales increase exceeding 40% across France, Italy, and Spain from January to June. Manufacturing executives at TCL similarly confirmed that several of their primary product supply lines had completely sold out.

This regional shopping surge is clearly reflected in the latest Chinese customs statistics for the month of May. Total air conditioner exports from China reached $7.69 million to the Netherlands, $3.33 million to France, and $2.82 million to Germany.

Compared with the previous year, those trade figures represent massive export expansions of 139.1%, 186.2%, and 69.6% respectively. The spikes highlight Europe’s rapidly growing reliance on overseas supply chains as the continent grapples with severe climate anomalies.