A volunteer in protective gear guides citizens at a nucleic acid testing site in Luohu District of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, March 13, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

Domestic sales of refrigerators, freezers and a variety of other appliances have surged over the past month, as people across China spend more time at home amid the latest sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks with tightened coronavirus prevention measures. 

Sales of these appliances in Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing and other cities in South China's Guangdong Province jumped 156 percent year-on-year from April 7 to 9, a spokesperson from Suning.com told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Electric appliance maker Midea said that demand has grown significantly with online sales of fridges jumping 45 percent this month, and the number of online product searches can match the annual "Double Eleven" shopping festival, Time Finance reported on Tuesday. 

Guangdong Province tightened coronavirus prevention measures in the past week. The province reported 16 new confirmed cases on Monday, which were all uncovered in Guangzhou, with a total of 19 asymptomatic infections from Guangzhou and Foshan, according to the Health Commission of Guangdong Province. 

Demand for refrigerators and freezers in Shanghai has also been surging as the city is scrambling to contain the latest Omicron outbreak.

Offline sales of freezers in Shanghai from April 4 to 10 increased 113.2 percent from corresponding period of 2021 while the total units sold surged 153.2 percent, data from research firm China Market Monitor Co showed.

Shanghai reported 994 new confirmed cases and 22,348 asymptomatic infections on Monday.

A Gome.com staffer based in Guangzhou city said that the sales of refrigerators and washing machines in the city surged 133 percent from April 8 to 10.  

Data from Suning also showed that sales of laser TVs and projectors surged 23 times and 7.5 times respectively, while the demand for high-end refrigerators and freezers rose 70 percent. 

Wang Debao, an employee at electrical appliance producer, Hefei Meiling in East China's Anhui Province, noted that consumers who live in the regions affected by the outbreaks have signaled a growing demand for more food storage capacity at home. They're especially interested in storing large quantities of fresh food, according to a yicai.com report, and the surging demand has boosted the sales of large-capacity fridges and household freezers. 

Global Times