Washington – Strong demand for dehumidifiers,
freezers and room air conditioners amid an early summer heat pushed factory
shipments of major appliances up 4.8 percent in June to 6.7 million units.
White-goods dealers may also be
snapping up inventory in advance of a second round of vendor price hikes, which
are set to go into effect in August following an initial increase in April.
The results, compiled by the
Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), were up sharply from May,
when total industry shipments declined 5.1 percent year over year.
Shipments of dehumidifiers led the
majap pack in June with a unit volume gain of 26.5 percent year over year for
the four weeks between May 29 and July 2.
Upright freezers and ACs trailed
closely, with gains of 21.8 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
Also showing strong growth in June
were microwave ovens, shipments of which rose 16 percent.
But the balance of the majap
business, which includes the core laundry, dishwasher, refrigerator and
oven/range categories, was weak, posting a collective 2.8 percent decline. The
downturn was led by 14 percent declines in both the electric oven and gas
cooktop categories, followed by a 6.4 percent decline in laundry, a 5 percent
decline in dishwashers, and flat shipments of refrigerators.
Total industry shipments year to date
were also flat, at 0.1 percent.
