eBay searches for air cons quadruple in the UK as heatwave intensifies

By Richa Naidu

LONDON (Reuters) – Searches for air conditioning units and fans have quadrupled and tripled respectively in Britain over the last week, eBay Inc told Reuters on Tuesday, as the country recorded its highest ever temperature of 40C (104F).

Europe is suffering an intense heatwave, scorching fields and damaging airport runways.

Sales of electric fans, hoses, air conditioning units and sprinklers are soaring, retailers including Amazon.com and Sainsbury’s told Reuters on Monday.

On eBay.com, there were three searches every minute last week for “air con unit” on the ecommerce platform, up 415% from the week prior, a spokesperson said. Britons searched for “fans” four times every minute, up 333% in the same period.

Top air con brands being searched include Delonghi, Daikin and Electriq, the spokesperson said, adding that many shoppers were buying units second-hand and refurbished.

(Reporting by Richa Naidu, editing by Ed Osmond)