Majap Shipments Up 5.9% In June

By Alan Wolf On Jul 22 2002 - 6:00am

As part of the disconnect that has seen investor confidence plummet while purchases of homes and big-ticket items climb, factory sales of major appliances grew 5.9 percent last month over the same period last year.

According to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), which compiles the data from vendor reports, some 7.2 million units shipped in June, continuing a trend that has seen wholesale sales of white goods climb 7.1 percent year-to-date.

Skewing the total numbers higher was a 22 percent surge in factory sales of room air conditioners, reflecting the hot weather that hit much of the nation early this season — and the cooler climes during the comparable period last year.

Still, core categories managed to hold their own, with kitchen cleanup up 9.3 percent, food preservation ahead 4.2 percent and home laundry gaining 3.9 percent. The slowest growth was in cooking, which edged up 1.7 percent.

All told, the bellwether AHAM 6 category, which includes washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers and ranges, maintained a healthy 6.6 percent sales pace last month, while year-to-date shipments through June are up 9.6 percent.