Haier returns to the UK with Hawco
6th April 2021
UK: Hawco has been appointed as a distributor for Haier, as the Chinese air conditioning manufacturer makes another attempt to crack the UK market.
In an announcement today, Haier HVAC Solutions’ European general manager Bob Cowlard confirmed that Hawco would be spearheading the company’s return to the UK market.
“Hawco are a well-known and trusted distributor in the component, accessory and air conditioning fields,” he said. “It’s great that they’ve recognised the value and technical excellence found in our ac products. I believe that this partnership will go from strength to strength over the years.
“With Brexit behind us, this is the right time for us to re-enter the UK market. We have the right products for the market and this will be the first of a number of announcements regarding our sales channels.”
Hawco sales director Phil Baker said the new deal was part of the company’s plans to grow its air conditioning business, which already includes LG and Hitachi air conditioners.
“Outside the UK, Haier are a well-established brand with impressive growth in Spain, Germany, Italy and France, so we knew they had a winning formula,” he said. Great products, quality production, competitively priced – make them a perfect partner for us. But we also understand how important it is to fully support customers long-term, with the reassurance of a six-year warranty on all R32 single and multi-splits; and offer UK technical support and easy access to parts and spares.”
Sales will focus on the residential and commercial split ranges but full access to VRF and the air to water product ranges will also be available to Hawco.
The Haier product first appeared in the UK in 2001 through New Century (Haier) Air Conditioning Ltd, but was beset with reliability issues. After a break of three years it briefly re-entered the UK market in 2009 with no greater success.
In 2017, Haier returned UK with the appointment of Pure Air Distribution (PAD), a new distribution company established by former Space Airconditioning employees led by Mark Houghton. The agreement was dissolved eight months later with Houghton admitting that the “timescale of the Haier plans and the expectation of the PAD team were somewhat different.”
