eu market survey 2003 - crecer

White with minimalist lines remains the distinctive feature of porcelain, according the Ambiente.
At the moment, shades of green, lilac-pink and yellow are the most important colours. Luxury is
also becoming more important in this segment.
Cutlery
The EU-cutlery market represented a value of over € 2 billion in 2002. France is the EU’s leading
cutlery consumer. In 2002, France accounted for 37 percent of the total cutlery sales in the EU. At
a considerable distance, we find Germany and Italy. Looking at the per capita expenditure, the
French are by far the biggest consumers of cutlery. In 2002, they spent about € 12.76 per capita,
almost three times as much as the Italians.
There are basically two markets for cutlery, that of classic high quality cutlery, mostly sold in
sets, and casual cutlery for everyday use, generally sold by piece. Everyday cutlery can itself be
divided into two segments: conventional and fashion-oriented cutlery. Everyday cutlery, in
general, should be inexpensive whereas fashion-oriented pieces can command somewhat higher
prices. A good example of this is cutlery with fashionable coloured handles, which has been
popular for several years following a trend towards matching kitchenware. This type of cutlery,
although also sold by piece, is sometimes presented in simple sets of four or six on a stand. This
type of novelty provides manufacturers and retailers with added-value in a generally low-value
sector.
High-quality cutlery can also be divided into
two segments: stainless steel plated cutlery,
and cutlery made of precious metals, mainly
silver. The top end of the market is completely
dominated by famous brands. This type of
cutlery is purchased once in a lifetime and the
purchases are seen as an investment. This
segment however is shrinking, mainly because
of reasonable quality and low prices of the
first segment.
A key development is the popularity of
kitchen knives, which have become
professional-style products. Knife-sets have
become a popular item in the kitchen today.
According to the Ambiente, linear and
functional designs dominate the cutlery
market, with stainless steel being the material
of choice. New materials, like titanium are
starting to be used to enhance the appeal.
Figure 3.9
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
12.76
France
Consumer expenditures on Cutlery
(per year in € per capita), in the EU,
1998-2002
Italy
4.34 4.1 4.05
Germany
Netherlands
Spain
1998
2000
2002
3.15 2.89
United
Kingdom
Source: Euromonitor, 2003
Metalware
There are no figures available concerning the consumption of metalware in the EU. In the
previous paragraph, we have given some extrapolation concerning the market size in the different
countries in this survey. The extrapolations indicate that North European countries (United
Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands) consume relatively more metalwares. This can be
explained by the fact that metal pots and pans are the main food preparing items in these
countries, whereas in Italy and Spain, people use more ceramic and glass cook- and ovenware.
According to Euromonitor, the metalware market can be divided into to two segments. Firstly, it
consists of metal products which are more table-orientated, like for example bread-baskets. The
second segment consists of metal products which are used in the preparation of food, like cook-,
oven- and bakeware. This segment accounted for more than three-quarters of the market for
metallic table- & kitchenware. The way people prepare their food largely determines the
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