Heatwave crowds fight for fans and AC units as Lidl sale turns chaotic across France

Amid a relentless heatwave, Lidl's promise to put 200,000 fans and air conditioners on sale turned Thursday 2 July into a nationwide frenzy. From dawn, customers formed long queues; within minutes of opening, brawls, stampedes, and police interventions had forced the discounter to close stores in Île-de-France, Grand Est, and beyond.

Queues and desperation from dawn

By 5 a.m., people were already waiting outside Lidl stores. In Loire-Atlantique, twenty customers lined up before the 8:30 a.m. opening. In Rennes, a florist watched a crowd of fifty gather by 7:30, filling the parking lot. Social media had amplified the announcement, and with memories of a brutal June heatwave still fresh, the hunt for cooling devices became frantic.

I would not survive another heatwave without equipment.

Mathilde, who arrived at 9 a.m. at a Paris-area Lidl, had already lost hope when she saw a queue snaking down the street. She had endured 36°C inside her home and felt she had no choice but to try.

Scenes of violence and store closures

Once doors opened, tensions erupted. In Sèvres, customer Thierry described the scene as a "battle between human beings" with only torn boxes left on shelves. At a Lidl in Levallois-Perret, police threatened to use tear gas; the sole customer who managed to buy an air conditioner had to be escorted out of the store. In the Bas-Rhin department, gendarmes were called to six stores including Eckbolsheim, where the entrance doors were broken. By mid-morning, Lidl was forced to shut several shops, and its customer service confirmed "riots and damage". The German discounter, which had ordered the products a year in advance and stocked them on its usual Thursday delivery cycle, expressed regret over the incidents, saying staff had faced "a difficult climate".

When I arrived, there was nothing left except torn boxes, it was a battle between human beings.

Hospitals and the state enter the market

Behind the consumer rush, public hospitals were also scrambling. Following a promise by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to acquire 30,000 mobile air conditioners for healthcare facilities, purchasing agencies placed bulk orders across Europe and with French retailers. A Leroy Merlin employee told Franceinfo that warehouse deliveries intended for store shelves were instead diverted to hospitals and nursing homes. The retailer confirmed that 1,900 units had been blocked for public health facilities at zero margin. Some deputies used personal networks: Philippe Juvin, a doctor and deputy, said he secured 450 units with a single phone call.

Retailers overwhelmed, stocks vanish

The scale of demand stretched far beyond Lidl. Michel-Edouard Leclerc, head of the E. Leclerc group, revealed on TF1 that his stores had sold 700,000 fans and air coolers in three weeks, "an increase of almost 200%," and nearly 60,000 air conditioners, up more than 35%. Darty and Fnac also faced surges, while online forums filled with desperate queries about where any remaining stock might be found. The heatwave, with temperatures set to reach 37°C in parts of France over the weekend, had turned a seasonal spike into a full-blown panic.

We sold 700,000 fans and air coolers in three weeks, an increase of almost 200%. We sold nearly 60,000 air conditioners, up more than 35%.