Lidl held a sale of 200,000 air conditioners and fans in France on Thursday, July 2, causing crowds and chaos in some supermarkets ahead of an expected heatwave.
The operation was launched as stocks run low and a new heatwave is expected later in the week. At the Nanterre store in Hauts-de-Seine, videos show a compact crowd pushing against the doors at opening, which eventually gave way.
A BFMTV journalist reported arguments in the store, which offered only 10 air conditioners for about a hundred people who had waited much of the night. Customers arrived as early as 1 a.m., some with camping chairs.
Deputy Karl Olive expressed disappointment on X after visiting the Lidl in Chambourcy, where no air conditioners were available, only fans. He regretted the lack of clear information on actual stock levels.
