KITCHEN & BATHROOM
KITCHEN & BATHROOM lifestyle » Unveiled! Cooking and heating Refrigeration technologies Small appliances Coffee culture Health and Beauty Huge Success for Appliances at IFA 2012 As the kitchen and the bathroom take on increasingly important roles in our lives, the EU market is in good shape as vendors focus on comfort, lifestyle, health and efficiency Changing market dynamics New home appliances on show at IFA emphasise a trend towards an easier lifestyle, healthy eating and increasing comfort. In this section, we will be highlighting key players and products on show at IFA. The dynamics of the home appliance markets in Europe are highly complex, with major variations in sales evolution from one country to another, and sales channels evolving rapidly as well. Europeans are lucky to have their own major local brands, but the huge Chinese manufacturer, Haier, is making a concerted push here, as is, for the first time, the Japanese brand Panasonic. Korea’s LG and Samsung also continue to innovate, and are customising units to the European consumer. Simplified, ergonomic controls, achieved through the use of intelligent electronic controls and sensors form a basis for incredible diversity and reliability that is becoming the trademark of our modern lives. Cooking is as popular as ever and can be enjoyed with friends or with larger groups of people. Induction hotplates, high-speed ovens with numerous combinations of functions and cooking programmes or versatile steamers are the perfect “tools” for home cooking, all tested and demonstrated by leading chefs. Careful preparation and processing retains the full nutritional value of the food, thereby guaranteeing outstanding flavour and healthy eating. The current range of refrigerators and fridge/freezer combinations is designed to reduce energy consumption to a minimum while at the same time offering many additional features such as zero-degree zones, humidity regulators, air filters, separate storage areas and integrated ice cube makers. This also applies to the small electrical appliances for both the kitchen and the bathroom, a range of products distinguished by brilliant styling and the use of the finest materials. Personal care & beauty appliances are indeed an expanding area. Sales of many different kinds of hair care and hair styling products are booming, along with those for oral and body care. You’ll find an incredible range of these comfort items on show at IFA 2012. With a sales share of 18 percent, coffee and espresso machines continue to be very important for the small domestic appliances market in Western Europe, although growth is currently only one percent. Fully automatic machines are Coffee and espresso machine sales retain momentum doing well, up four percent, and the development of traditional filter coffee machines is also slightly positive at plus one percent. Sales of coffee pod and capsule machines, however, are declining. In Eastern Europe, coffee and espresso machines only have a nine percent share of the overall small appliances market. The growth is however greater, at 17 percent, which is above all driven by fully automatic machines, as well as pod and capsule machines. IFA International • Tuesday 4 th September 2012 27
