Majaps Sales Up 10% In April

By Alan Wolf On Jun 19 2006 - 6:00am

Factory sales of major appliances rose 9.8 percent to 7.2 million units in April, according to data compiled by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

Leading the charge was home comfort, up 33.6 percent on strength in room air conditioner sales as dealers stock up for summer. AC wholesale volume shot up 42.5 percent to 1.9 million units, which compensated for a 15.6 percent drop-off in dehumidifier shipments.

Also putting in a strong performance was food preservation, up 13.9 percent thanks to a 43.2 percent spike in sales of upright freezers, another seasonal category. Refrigerators also fared well, with wholesale sales rising 11.1 percent to about 824,300 units. Year-to-date sales of refrigerators remained solid, with shipments rising 8.5 percent for the first quarter.

Sales were softer in kitchen cleanup, rising only 3.8 percent on weak compactor sales and flat volume in built-in dishwashers. By contrast, shipments of portable dishwashers rose 28.6 percent to 11,200 units, and disposer sales increased nearly 6 percent to over a half a million units.

In home laundry, strength in washers (unit sales up 5.4 percent) was offset by an 11.1 percent drop in gas dryer shipments, to 108,600 units. Washers also cleaned up in the first quarter, with factory shipments up 9.9 percent through April.

Taking it on the chin was the cooking category, which fell 3.8 percent in April year-over-year due to weakness in microwave ovens and freestanding gas ranges and surface cooking units. Shipments of microwave ovens fell 9 percent to 1 million units, while total gas range sales slipped 1 percent. By contrast, electric ranges were cooking, with freestanding units up 7.4 percent and cooktops up nearly 5 percent. Built-ins of both types did well, with electric versions up 7.3 percent and gas models up 16.3 percent.

The AHAM 6 composite classification, comprised of washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers and freestanding and built-in ranges, rose 5.4 percent in unit factory shipments to 3.4 million units. Sales were up 6 percent through April.