PART A EU Market Information and Market Access Requirements 10
1 PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS This <strong>survey</strong> analyses the <strong>market</strong> for table- & kitchenware and other household articles in the European Union. Naturally, the category is broad, and includes a wide range of applications from storage containers to laundry- and waste-baskets. For the purposes of this report, the EU-<strong>market</strong> for table- & kitchenware is segmentated into seven categories, depending on the material it is made from. The following segments are distinguished: glassware, ceramicware, china & porcelain, cutlery, plasticware, metalware and woodware. Because of this division, there is some overlap between ceramicware and china & porcelain and between cutlery and metalware. The product sectors covered in this report are discussed in paragraph 1.1. This <strong>survey</strong> does not include small domestic electrical household appliances such as, for example, coffee makers. Related CBI <strong>survey</strong>s are the reports concerning “Gifts and decorative articles” and “Stationery items, office and school supplies”. The report concerning “Gifts and decorative articles” covers candles, artificial flowers and fruits, decorative glassware, basketwork and suchlike. The “Stationery items, office and school supplies” report covers paper products, writing and drawing instruments and other office materials. 1.1 Product groups In this paragraph, we will give a short definition of the seven product groups included in this <strong>survey</strong>. Most product groups include a number of different products. However, for the ease of use and the extent of information available, the <strong>survey</strong> does not specify the different products included in product segments. It is also possible to divide the <strong>market</strong> into different functionalities, such as cookware and tableware. This, however, causes an overlap in the segmentation above. Cookware, for example, includes products of materials such as ceramic, glass and metal. Therefore, we have chosen a segmentation based on the different materials used. Plasticware Plasticware consists of storage products like cups, containers, etc. It also includes plastic tableware like plates, mugs, jars etc. Cleaning equipment such as bowls, buckets and drainers are also included in this group. Glassware The glassware segment can be divided in to three types of products, each having it own specific purpose. “Drinking glasses” is the first and one of the largest groups. It includes tumblers, crystalware and stemware. The second group is glass cookware, including glass pots, pans and heat-resident casseroles. The third group is glass tableware, which includes glass plates, serving dishes etc. Ceramicware Ceramicware includes cookware, such as casseroles and oven-to-tableware. It furthermore consists of non-china ceramics, like earthenware and stoneware. Other products, such as mugs, storage jars, jugs and pitchers are also included in this segment. China & Porcelain The china & porcelain segment is closely linked with ceramicware. This could mean that there is some overlap between these segments. China and porcelain is defined as fine semi-transparent or white earthenware. It includes dinner services and individual items of china tableware. 11