Sales of Air Conditioners, Fans Surge As Mercury Hits Records

Tokyo, Aug. 11 (Jiji Press)--Air conditioners and electric fans are
selling extremely well thanks to the boiling hot weather this summer, with some retailers enjoying more than doubled sales of those appliances.

In July, record-breaking heat waves, particularly in western Japan, pushed up overall sales in Japan of air conditioners by 74.5 pct from a year earlier and those of the fans by 90.4 pct, according to data compiled by market research firm GfK Marketing Services Japan Ltd.

Among large-scale electric retail chains, front-running Yamada
Denki Co. <9831> logged a 1.9-fold sales rise for air conditioners and a
2.3-fold jump for the fans in July. Bic Camera <3048> said its sales surged
2.5-fold for both of them.
Sales of not only air conditioners but also electric fans have been
robust because energy-conscious consumers have grown interested in using the
fans together with air conditioners to cool down rooms more efficiently,
Yamada official said.
GfK said sales of the cooling devises so far in August have shown
flat movements compared with the same month the previous year, when the
mercury also hit records in various parts of Japan.
But Mitsubishi Electric Corp. <6503>, a leading air conditioner
maker, said its air conditioner shipments soared 1.4-fold in the first week
of the month.
Retailers also report continued strong demand for air conditioners,
saying new buyers cannot get their air conditioners installed at home until
the end of Bon holidays due to excessive installation requests.