South Korean media: "Air conditioners are a blessing," European heatwave hits, Chinese air conditioners sell like hotcakes!
On July 5, South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo published an article stating that due to the record-breaking heatwave sweeping across Europe, Chinese-made air conditioning units have rapidly gained popularity in the region.
In particular, portable air conditioners—requiring no complex installation—are drawing widespread attention. Europe has strict legal restrictions on air conditioner installations; for example, France enforces refrigerant regulations, Germany imposes noise standards, and Italy has rules protecting historic building facades.
As a result, tenants and landlords alike are scrambling to source Chinese-made portable air conditioners to circumvent these regulations, leading to viral internet memes portraying the product as a divine gift.
The surge in demand is clearly reflected in data. In May alone, China’s exports of air conditioners to France increased by 186.2% year-on-year, while exports to the Netherlands (up 139.1%) and Germany (up 69.6%) also saw significant growth.
On overseas e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress, sales of air conditioners and fans have achieved triple-digit growth. Wholesale orders are not only coming from southern European countries like Spain and Italy, but also from Nordic and northwestern European distribution networks—including Sweden (up 378%) and Belgium (up 114%).
Consequently, major Chinese home appliance manufacturers have experienced unprecedented prosperity. In the first half of this year, Midea’s air conditioner sales in Western Europe grew by over 70% compared to the same period last year.
The flagship model “PortaSplit” is in extremely high demand, with second-hand prices even exceeding those of new units. Midea has already activated its factories to run 24 hours a day to meet the surging demand.
Another major home appliance company, Gree, also reported over 40% growth in European sales. Chinese manufacturer TCL has announced that all its current inventory has been sold out.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869842733667459/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.