IFA International 2019 Week-End Edition

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DE’LONGHI GROUP TARGETS
NEXT PHASE OF BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT
Paul Accornero, Group Chief Commercial Officer, De’Longhi Group
on the company’s group sales performance
In tough market conditions, De’Longhi has been performing well,
with a rise in group revenues. We started by asking Paul Accornero,
Group Chief Commercial Officer, De’Longhi Group, what lies behind
the success:
Paul Accornero
Group Chief Commercial Officer,
De’Longhi Group
CHINA IS
A SIGNIFICANT
AND IMPORTANT
PRIORITY FOR THE
GROUP
The key to the De’Longhi Group success
has always been attributed to three
things – our ambitious and passionate
people, consistent investments behind
industry-leading product innovation and
our market-leading brands that stand for
quality.
Our growth story and success is not one
to be viewed over the short term – we are
running a marathon and not a sprint.
In which geographic areas are you seeing
the biggest growth, and why?
We are very much a multinational
company with strong business interests
in Europe, but we have a global outlook to
our next phase of business development.
Western Europe has always been very
important for the group and has been
our main historical area of focus. While
Western Europe will remain an important
part of our business in the future, our
fastest-growing geographies today are
outside West Europe, namely Central and
Eastern Europe and North America.
We seek out market opportunities
wherever they might be and where
our core product categories have local
consumer relevance and growth potential.
China is a significant and important
priority for the group in Asia. Following
the development of the China market,
the next likely steps for us in Asia are in
Southeast Asia.
What is your star product at IFA?
Our focus this year is once again on the
high-end part of the coffee market, with
the new Maestosa with double automatic
coffee grinding technology and double
cappuccino, and the new La Specialista
high-end barista pump espresso machine.
On top of these innovations, De’Longhi
Group remains focused on our partnership
with Nespresso and is presenting the
new high-end GranLattissima Nespresso
direct one-touch milk machine that
is especially important for German,
Northern European, and consumers who
prefer milk-based coffee drinks. Kenwood
will present a new entry-level kitchen
machine, Prospero Plus, which refreshes
the very successful entry kitchen machine
ranges of the brand for new young users.
Braun’s success in the ironing category will
be further supported with new models in
the successful Carestyle Compact range of
ironing systems and with further models in
the standard Series 3 and Series 7 ironing
ranges.
How important is sustainability to the
Group, and what are the key activities of
note in this respect?
We are continuing to move towards
a higher level of integration of key
environmental, social and governance
(ESG) factors into our mainstream
reporting and our investment
decision-making. We are measuring
and understanding the sustainability
performance of our organisation and
this has, over time, strengthened our
awareness of the importance of defining
concrete actions consistent with our
strategy to mitigate and improve our
impact.
How important is IFA as a platform for
networking and growing your business?
As the premier international industry
event of the year, IFA is an important
business platform. It is an opportunity to
meet key industry stakeholders, showcase
new innovations, and provides a valuable
focal point for the industry
» HALL 1.1 / STAND 202
www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Saturday 7 th & Sunday 8 th September 2019
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