Exclusive: Chinese firms ramp up production, explore new shipping, sales routes to meet Europe’s surging demand for cooling products amid relentless heatwaves
By Zhang Yiyi, Qi Xijia, , Yin Yeping and Tao Mingyang Published: Jul 01, 2026 11:56 AM
Tourists use umbrellas for shade while visiting Castle Square in the Old Town district during high temperatures in Warsaw, Poland, on June 30, 2026. Red warnings for extreme heat have been issued in several countries, including Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Croatia, with similar alerts still in place for parts of southern and western Switzerland. Photo: VCG
As Europe swelters under relentless heatwaves, demand for cooling products from air conditioners (Acs) and portable fans to sun umbrellas is surging, with some Chinese AC makers seeing sales in certain European countries such as France jumping as much as over 300 percent, while portable fans and other cooling devices are seeing similarly strong momentum across the continent.
To meet the persistently growing demand and ensure sufficient supply, Chinese companies — from major AC manufacturers to small merchants in Yiwu, the bustling small-commodities export hub in East China's Zhejiang Province — have moved swiftly, ramping up production, adapting products to local installation requirements, exploring new shipping routes, and expanding online sales channels, according to interviews with nearly a dozen firms by the Global Times.
This rapid response underscores the strengths of China's integrated industrial and supply chains, from factory floor to global delivery. It also reaffirms that affordable, high-efficiency Chinese products remain in strong global demand, especially as extreme weather becomes more frequent, a Chinese industry expert noted.
Skyrocketing sales
Data provided by TCL's European air-conditioning team to the Global Times showed that sales in the Nordic region and France both jumped more than 300 percent, while sales in Spain posted 100 percent growth. Inventories of TCL mobile AC units have been cleared out through its subsidiaries and partner channels in the UK, France and Germany.
To meet urgent cooling demand, TCL is considering direct trailer shipments to Europe and chartered air freight for some project orders. The company has also cut production cycles from the usual 30 to 40 days to 10 days to ease shortages at the retail end.
Skyworth Air Conditioning told the Global Times that demand in Europe has surged this year, with the company tailoring products to local installation conditions and user habits.
Strict rules on historic buildings, high labor costs for certified installers and limits on renovations in rental housing have kept fixed ACs out of reach for many European households. That has fueled strong demand for Chinese-made easy-install models and mobile AC units tailored to local conditions.
Skyworth Air Conditioning said tis customized quick-connect models for France have been particularly popular, as they spare buyers from waiting for professional installation and help cut installation costs. Skyworth said the models sold out in some French customer inventories within seven days, leaving warehouses short and replenishment demand rising.
Haier told the Global Times that it has developed its Expert series for Europe to address the difficulty and cost of installing ACs in older homes. Designed for easy installation, removal and maintenance, the series features easy-mount wall plates, L-shaped brackets, left- and right-side drainage and enlarged piping space to suit different installation scenarios, cutting installation time by up to 50 percent.
Haier said its Pearl Premium series has reached Europe's top A+++ energy-efficiency rating, targeting high power costs and growing demand for energy-saving products. Also, the company said its European HVAC business grew more than 20 percent, with own-brand sales up 23 percent. In Spain, Haier ranked first by both sales volume and value; in Italy, it led the professional channel; and in Poland, it ranked second in the residential AC market.
Demand has also risen for other cooling products such as ice makers. Zheng Li, international trade director at a Ningbo-based company, told the Global Times that the company's ice-maker shipments to Europe rose more than 70 percent year-on-year in the first five months, accounting for about 15 percent of its total sales.
Data from AliExpress showed that mobile AC units, ice makers and electric fans saw explosive growth in Europe in June. Mobile AC units sold out in several countries, led by buyers in the UK, followed by France and Germany. Ice-maker sales in the UK rose tenfold year-on-year, while cooling appliances grew 4.6 times in Germany and threefold in France. Fan sales rose 94 percent week-on-week in Spain and doubled in Italy. Data from Alibaba.com showed that after air conditioners sold out, European buyers began purchasing fans in bulk. Orders for portable fans in France rose 31 percent year-on-year, while fan orders in Sweden — even parts near the Arctic Circle — surged 375 percent as buyers stocked up ahead of further heat.
More than ACs
While the AC boom reflects rising demand for indoor cooling in European homes, hospitals and public spaces, Yiwu-made fan hats, sun umbrellas and cooling sleeves point to a surge in demand for outdoor sun protection and cooling.
Zhang Jiying, head of Yiwu RST Umbrella Industry, told the Global Times that the company has exported umbrellas to Europe since 2005, mostly ordinary rain umbrellas in the early years as demand for sun protection was limited. But as European summers have grown hotter in recent years, consumers have become more sun-conscious, boosting demand for sun umbrellas and fan-equipped umbrellas.
Zhang said the company expects both export volume and sales to grow about 10 percent this year, with clients from Spain, Italy and France continuing to place follow-up and additional orders. Its newer products include black-coated sun umbrellas, fan umbrellas and misting fan umbrellas.
"Our company produces about 10,000 umbrellas a day and ships to several European countries, mainly by sea and China-Europe freight trains, with the Yiwu-Madrid rail route taking about 16 to 18 days," she said.
Yiwu fan-hat seller Jiang Yongtao told the Global Times that overseas demand for cooling products remains strong this year, with exports faring better than last year. While more suppliers have entered the market and split orders, his factory is still busy, shipping new orders every day, while many cross-border e-commerce clients continue to restock as sales pick up.
For cross-border sellers, orders are mostly small but frequent. Merchants restock as sales data comes in, which means factories must be ready to respond quickly, Jiang said.
Another Yiwu merchant, cooling-sleeve seller Dong Wei told the Global Times that her exports had previously gone mainly to Southeast Asia, with little demand from Europe. But this year, buyers from Spain and Italy began placing orders, pointing to a broader shift in Europe's sun-protection demand from umbrellas and hats to more personal protective products.
Official data provided by Yiwu showed that the city's cross-border e-commerce transactions reached 81.18 billion yuan in the first five months, up 10.23 percent year-on-year, with online sales channels for cooling products opened. Cross-border platforms and local warehouses have also helped cooling products reach European consumers faster. AliExpress said it has continued to build up local fulfillment capacity in Europe in recent years. As the EU tightens tax rules on low-value parcels, the small-package model based on direct cross-border shipping is facing more pressure, making local fulfillment a new option for merchants.
During this year's 618 shopping festival, orders shipped from local warehouses in key markets including Spain, France and Poland accounted for more than 50 percent for the first time, surpassing direct cross-border shipments, AliExpress said.
Unique advantages
Chen Jing, vice president of the Technology and Strategy Research Institute, told the Global Times that China's supply chain is playing a role in Europe's response to extreme heat that goes beyond ordinary seasonal consumer goods exports. "To some extent, it has become part of the supply system for climate emergency materials," Chen said.
"The advantage of China's cooling products is not just value for money. It lies in a systematic response capacity built on a complete industrial chain, flexible manufacturing, fast delivery and cross-border e-commerce channels," Chen said.
From rapid iteration in small batches and multiple categories to direct links with end demand through cross-border platforms, and from cross-border logistics to local warehousing that shortens delivery times, Chinese firms have built an emergency supply capacity that is hard for the European market to replicate in the short term, Chen noted.
"Whatever cooling needs Europe has, Chinese products can almost offer a corresponding solution," Chen said. "This round of strong sales during Europe's heatwaves also shows that in responding to climate change and extreme weather, the global market still needs stable, efficient and affordable Chinese manufacturing."
Zhang Jiying, head of Yiwu RST Umbrella Industry, told the Global Times that the company has exported umbrellas to Europe since 2005, mostly ordinary rain umbrellas in the early years as demand for sun protection was limited. But as European summers have grown hotter in recent years, consumers have become more sun-conscious, boosting demand for sun umbrellas and fan-equipped umbrellas.
Zhang said the company expects both export volume and sales to grow about 10 percent this year, with clients from Spain, Italy and France continuing to place follow-up and additional orders. Its newer products include black-coated sun umbrellas, fan umbrellas and misting fan umbrellas.
"Our company produces about 10,000 umbrellas a day and ships to several European countries, mainly by sea and China-Europe freight trains, with the Yiwu-Madrid rail route taking about 16 to 18 days," she said.
Yiwu fan-hat seller Jiang Yongtao told the Global Times that overseas demand for cooling products remains strong this year, with exports faring better than last year. While more suppliers have entered the market and split orders, his factory is still busy, shipping new orders every day, while many cross-border e-commerce clients continue to restock as sales pick up.
For cross-border sellers, orders are mostly small but frequent. Merchants restock as sales data comes in, which means factories must be ready to respond quickly, Jiang said.
Another Yiwu merchant, cooling-sleeve seller Dong Wei told the Global Times that her exports had previously gone mainly to Southeast Asia, with little demand from Europe. But this year, buyers from Spain and Italy began placing orders, pointing to a broader shift in Europe's sun-protection demand from umbrellas and hats to more personal protective products.
Official data provided by Yiwu showed that the city's cross-border e-commerce transactions reached 81.18 billion yuan in the first five months, up 10.23 percent year-on-year, with online sales channels for cooling products opened. Cross-border platforms and local warehouses have also helped cooling products reach European consumers faster. AliExpress said it has continued to build up local fulfillment capacity in Europe in recent years. As the EU tightens tax rules on low-value parcels, the small-package model based on direct cross-border shipping is facing more pressure, making local fulfillment a new option for merchants.
During this year's 618 shopping festival, orders shipped from local warehouses in key markets including Spain, France and Poland accounted for more than 50 percent for the first time, surpassing direct cross-border shipments, AliExpress said.
Unique advantages
Chen Jing, vice president of the Technology and Strategy Research Institute, told the Global Times that China's supply chain is playing a role in Europe's response to extreme heat that goes beyond ordinary seasonal consumer goods exports. "To some extent, it has become part of the supply system for climate emergency materials," Chen said.
"The advantage of China's cooling products is not just value for money. It lies in a systematic response capacity built on a complete industrial chain, flexible manufacturing, fast delivery and cross-border e-commerce channels," Chen said.
From rapid iteration in small batches and multiple categories to direct links with end demand through cross-border platforms, and from cross-border logistics to local warehousing that shortens delivery times, Chinese firms have built an emergency supply capacity that is hard for the European market to replicate in the short term, Chen noted.
"Whatever cooling needs Europe has, Chinese products can almost offer a corresponding solution," Chen said. "This round of strong sales during Europe's heatwaves also shows that in responding to climate change and extreme weather, the global market still needs stable, efficient and affordable Chinese manufacturing."
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