Economic Observer reporter Zhang Rui

Since June, due to the rare high temperature weather in the local area, Chinese air conditioners have sold out in Europe.

On June 30th, Hisense Home Appliances (000921. SZ) responded to Economic Observer reporters regarding the phenomenon of "rushing to buy air conditioners" during high temperature weather in Europe. According to past experience, the traditional peak season for air conditioners in Western European countries is from mid June to the end of July. However, the hot weather in Spain, France, and Germany came earlier this year, with some areas already experiencing high temperatures in early June.

Hisense had stocked up on mobile air conditioning products in April and May, but due to extreme high temperatures, sales far exceeded expectations, resulting in a 'out of stock' phenomenon. A spokesperson from Hisense's home appliance related brand department told Economic Observer that the company's inventory in Eastern and Western Europe has been smoothly adjusted, and Chinese factories have also 'temporarily added orders' in response to customer demand.

The above-mentioned individuals also stated that Hisense Home Appliances has been laying out its air conditioning business since 2001, and set up an air conditioning research and development center in Europe in 2023. "The European air conditioning business accounts for about 30% of Hisense's overall overseas air conditioning business, making a huge incremental contribution.

For the European market, Hisense also has "special supply" products. For example, the Hisense U6 split air conditioning series will be launched overseas in March 2025, mainly targeting the use of pre embedded pipes in Europe. The overall installation efficiency has significantly improved compared to conventional products. In addition, Hisense's European mobile air conditioning system, which allows consumers to install it themselves, was sold out during the heatwave in June.

As of June 30th, sales data from Hisense Home Appliances shows that in the first half of 2026, Hisense air conditioners showed a rapid growth trend in the European market as a whole, with sales reaching 113000 sets in Europe, a year-on-year increase of 117%. Among them, from January to June this year, the sales of Hisense air conditioners in the French market increased by 900% year-on-year.

The European marketing department of Hisense Home Appliances stated that in recent years, the climate has been exceptionally hot, and the situation of rushing to buy air conditioners is not the first time. The department's analysis suggests that the market capacity for refrigeration equipment in Europe is approximately 1.5 billion US dollars per year. Although the overall market is not large, the growth and potential are good, with a compound annual growth rate of over 5%.