The air conditioner boss changed hands! How did Dong Mingzhu react?

　　Chinanews client, Beijing, September 6 (Zuo Yukun) The autumn mood is getting stronger, and the peak season for air conditioning has passed.

However, the dismal semi-annual reports of the leading players in the air-conditioning industry and the biggest decline in the air-conditioning market in eight years indicate that this year is destined to be a "special year" for the industry.

Workers are installing air conditioners.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Yun

-20.7%!

Air-conditioning industry "

　　"The impact of weather conditions on the air-conditioning industry is simply decisive." Mr. Sun, who is doing air-conditioning sales in Harbin, was surprised that this year's business was not bad. "As a city that started trial heating in October and continued to supply it in May of the following year Harbin is definitely not a good place to sell air conditioners. But Harbin has been hotter than usual this summer, which has brought up a lot of sales."

　　During this year's scorching heat, Mr. Sun ran around for a day and got a good return.

"My sales this year can almost catch up with the sum of the previous two or three years, but my colleagues in other places are not so lucky, and many have even switched careers or started side businesses."

　　“We are a comprehensive home appliance group. I feel that among all home appliances this year, air conditioning is the most difficult to do. Not only because of the epidemic, but also because of the weather, it won’t get hot.” ​​Wu Li (pseudonym), who is engaged in home appliance sales in Qingdao, Shandong Feeling.

　　"2020 is a particularly difficult year for the industry. The epidemic and weather have caused a'double blow' to the domestic sales of air conditioners." Jiang Feng, chairman of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, said in a speech at the 2020-2021 China Air Conditioning Industry Summit.

The external air-conditioning unit above the residents.

Photo by Zuo Yukun

　　According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, my country’s air-conditioning production in the first half of the year was 104 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 16.4%; the main business income of the air-conditioning industry was 294.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 21.6%; the total profit of the air-conditioning industry was 26.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 20.7%. The biggest market decline in air-conditioning cold years in the past 8 years.

The air-conditioning cold year is a cycle of the air-conditioning industry, from September to August of the following year.

　　In the first quarter, due to the suspension of offline activities caused by the epidemic, superimposed real estate sales and decoration were blocked, and air-conditioning sales were almost "halved."

But with the warmer weather starting in May, when the entire industry is looking forward to the peak season, my country's extensive continuous rainy weather and floods in the Yangtze River basin have poured cold water on air-conditioning sales.

　　"The industry's experience of'cool summer' has objectively restrained the consumption demand for air-conditioning during peak seasons." Jiang Feng said.

　　"Our branch in the south has reported a performance decline of more than 50% in the previous few days. The headquarters asked what was going on. The city where they are located was flooded and the stores were flooded. How to sell it?" Wu Li said with emotion. .

The boss of Gree air-conditioning has changed its position, and

　　The industry is bearing an unbearable burden, and the giants cannot escape the impact.

"White power duo" Midea Group and Gree Electric's performance in the first half of 2020 both fell into a trough.

　　Midea's semi-annual report shows that the total revenue in the first half of the year was about 139.719 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 9.47%. This is the first year-on-year decline since 2017.

At the same time, Midea’s net profit attributable to its parent in the first half of the year was approximately 13.928 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 8.29%.

The last time Midea's semi-annual report net profit fell year-on-year was in 2011. Since then, Midea's semi-annual report net profit has been "smooth and smooth", with a year-on-year increase of at least 10%.

The air conditioning installation engineer is installing the air conditioning.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Yun

　　If Midea is already "unable to laugh", Gree may be "sorrowful".

　　Gree's semi-annual report shows that Gree achieved revenue of 69.502 billion yuan in the first half of the year, a year-on-year decrease of 28.57%; net profit was directly "cut", with a report card of 6.362 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 53.73%.

　　Some analysts pointed out that since its listing in 1996, Gree Electric’s half-yearly reported net profit has only experienced two year-on-year declines, and the half-yearly reported net profit has also broken the record since 1996.

　　The "Battle of Two Heroes" is specific to the performance of the air-conditioning business. In the first half of the year, Midea's HVAC revenue was 64.03 billion yuan, while Gree's air-conditioning revenue was 41.333 billion yuan, a gap of 22.697 billion yuan.

From the perspective of the decline, Midea’s HVAC revenue fell by 10.37% in the first half of the year, while Gree Electric’s air-conditioning revenue fell by 47.89%.

　　So far, in the competition with Midea, Gree, which relied on its strong air-conditioning business, could not retreat to the second place in the air-conditioning market, and Midea was able to sit on the throne of China's air-conditioning sales leader.

The picture shows Dong Mingzhu, chairman and president of Zhuhai Gree Electric Appliance Co., Ltd.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Luo Yunfei

　　The position of the empty boss was robbed. Dong Mingzhu, the chairman and president of Gree Electric, who is well-known as a business woman, has been selected twice as an entrepreneur in the "World's 50 Most Influential Business Women" by Fortune magazine. She will What kind of response is made becomes the focus of attention.

　　But this time Dong Mingzhu didn't seem to be "furious."

"There is always demand for air conditioners, but there are short-term abnormalities. Long-distance runners occasionally need to find a station to take a break." Dong Mingzhu said in an interview with the media recently in response to the decline in performance. "I think it's good, but everyone expects me too high. ."

Gree "As long as the sales volume, not the price", the price war is coming?

　　"In addition to the epidemic and weather, there is another problem this year, which is the new national standard. Top brands will clear inventory and lower prices." Wu Li told Chinanews.com.

　　On July 1, the new national standard for air conditioners, known as "the most stringent in history", was officially implemented, which means that all low-energy, high-power-consumption fixed-frequency and three-level energy-efficient inverter products on the market will face elimination.

According to the calculation of the China National Institute of Standardization, the implementation of the new national energy efficiency standard will make the current air conditioning market obsolescence rate reach 45%.

Fresh air system air conditioning in the mall.

Photo by Zuo Yukun

　　"The competition in the home appliance industry has become fierce. Products and technologies are similar. In fact, ordinary consumers can't feel much difference, so they will look at the brand and price." In Wu Li's view, big brands rely on brand advantages. , A large part of small brands is to rely on price to win.

　　"But the actual situation is that the cost of the top brand is lower than that of the small brands. Because of the large scale, it can form scale advantages, and the procurement and production processes are cheap. Therefore, in the face of the industry downturn, the big brands are sure to re Adopt a way of reducing prices." Wu Li thinks.

　　"Gree, a top brand with high profits, if it initiates a price war, it is nothing more than not making money; but a small brand with the same price will lose money." In Wu Li's view, although this year's peak season has passed, The reshuffle of the air-conditioning industry may still be behind.

　　"It is expected that in the remaining 4 months of this year, air-conditioning prices will hit a record low in the past 10 years." Home appliance industry analyst Liu Buchen judged that there will be a fierce price war in the air-conditioning industry.

　　The gross profit margin disclosed in the semi-annual report of home appliance companies also revealed the eve of the price war.

Gree still has an advantage over Midea in gross profit margin, which is 8 percentage points higher, and the decline in gross profit is also less than Midea.

"This means that Gree still has room to cut prices in the price war. If Gree continues to fight the price war to grab the market, it may win back a city." Liu Buchen said.

　　Although Dong Mingzhu’s response to the decline in performance was light and bland, Gree Electric has recently announced that it will start the "Gree Anhui Boiling" activity in mid-September, and slogan "Headquarters trader, as long as sales are sold, not price".

The air-conditioning sprint in the next four months of this year is coming so fast that it may have exceeded expectations.

　　Entering autumn and winter, do you have any plans to buy air conditioners off-season?