Chinese appliance giant Midea, which set up a Melbourne office last year, is once again at the centre of speculation about a potential move on Melbourne-based distributor Residentia.

The rumours resurfaced at IFA 2025 in Berlin, with industry chatter suggesting Midea is either preparing to buy into, or acquire outright, Residentia.

Residentia’s Marketing Director, Nicholas Cary, dismissed the talk as familiar.

“This rumour surfaces every six months. Midea have been interested in buying us for years but it never happens,” he said.

“That said, around 80% of our products are manufactured by Midea. We are in talks with them regarding distribution, but this has been ongoing for some time.”

Residentia markets the Omega and Solt brands, among others, and is now tipped to take over Australian distribution of Midea-branded products.

The move comes after Midea has struggled to secure placement with major appliance retailers locally, while rival Haier has successfully established itself with chains such as The Good Guys, backed by strong marketing and a high-profile sponsorship deal with the Australian Open.

One retailer told ChannelNews: “Midea, unlike Haier, don’t understand marketing — that’s why we’ve never ranged their products.”

Another suggested that Midea’s real interest could be in Residentia’s established brand portfolio and its local marketing expertise.

“Why bother? Midea already makes a lot of Residentia’s products. What they could really be after is the Solt and Omega names, and a distributor who knows the Australian market.”

At IFA, Residentia unveiled an Omega-branded meat fridge, though several retailers questioned whether the product would win ranging in Australia.

Midea’s past attempts to crack the Australian market directly have stumbled. Plans to open 20 branded stores were quietly dropped after poor performance, with its Chatswood, NSW store already closed.

Globally, Midea remains a powerhouse. Founded in 1968 and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the company is the world’s largest home appliance producer, with a portfolio spanning air treatment, refrigeration, kitchen, laundry, floor care, and lighting products. For the 2024/25 financial year, it reported revenues of US$56 billion and net profit of A$8.1 billion.

Residentia has also expanded its stable, acquiring the Omega brand in 2023 from Shriro, which exited the appliance market after losing key ranging at Harvey Norman. The deal reportedly cost Residentia several million dollars.

Midea did not comment for this story.