I MARKET TRENDS I IFA:
I MARKET TRENDS I IFA: Industry strength in numbers Speaking at the IFA opening press conference on Wednesday, Dr Sara Warneke, MD, gfu, gave a clear picture of the current state of the industry. "In 2020 and 2021, there was a pandemic-related boom accompanied by exceptional growth. This phase is now over. However, sales are still well above prepandemic 2019 levels," she said. "The global market for technical consumer goods (TCGs) amounted to .2tn in 2019, a decline of 2.8% in comparison to 2018. In 2020, the effects of the pandemic were already being felt, as consumers were more oriented towards their homes. Growth amounted to 3.9%. 2021 was particularly positive for our industries, as growth amounted to 12.6%, increasing overall to more than .4tn." Dr Warneke advised that while this exceptional positive development has ended, there were still many "sweet spots" offering growth opportunities, such as IT and home office devices, small domestic appliances as well as large appliances. And current sales are still above 2019 levels. TCGs grew altogether at a rate of 9% in the first half of each year between 2019 and 2022, however they declined 6% from 2021 to 2022." Despite obvious global challenges, Dr Warneke highlighted opportunities for positive developments. For example: "Energy-efficient appliances help consumers save not only energy, but also money. Purchasing a new, more economical unit pays for itself within a few years due to the achieved savings," she said TECHNICAL CONSUMER GOODS TCG MARKET SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE 2019 BASELINES 16 IFA INTERNATIONAL • FRIDAY 2 ND SEPTEMBER 2022 news.ifa-berlin.com
I TRADE TALK I Euronics is growing its customer base with UEFA Women's football partnership Co-founder Hans Carpels discusses the company's four-year collaboration in an exclusive interview with IFA International The progressive retailer is supporting inclusivity and looking to attract a younger and more female online audience. Euronics has partnered with UEFA Women's football to widen its customer base and inspire more women to use its services. Co-founder and president Hans Carpels says the global organisation has chosen to support inclusivity and position itself as a progressive brand. We asked him to tell us more... How does it feel to be back at IFA 2022 in person? It has been too long. Since the last IFA event, we have rarely had an overall product overview and the trends and the atmosphere of the trade show are always interesting to experience. Could you tell us a bit about your partnership with UEFA Women's football? We have started a four-year partnership journey mainly with the purpose of balancing and widening our customer base, attracting younger and more female audience to our online and offline operations. In the Euronics Group, we have chosen to support inclusivity and to position ourselves as the dynamic and progressive retailer. However, since we signed the agreement with UEFA which was specifically boosted by an impressive Women Euro 2022 in England this summer, the explosive growing popularity of Women's Football is also a good opportunity to build a stronger preference and awareness of the Euronics brand. What are the key trends in the consumer electronics market today? For retailers it is of course omnichannel performance which has undeniably experienced the biggest evolution during the pandemic. Moreover, this trend is not going away. Although overall footfall is lower, it has been largely compensated by a huge conversion in store. Sustainability is one of the hottest topics. What is your vision and strategy? Sustainability is a very important topic for our industry given that it impacts both the products we sell and the operations we run. At Euronics, we have a decided to team up with KPMG, which has a wide experience in the field of sustainability. We believe that this partnership will support us with an ambitious but obligatory road map to de-carbonise operations and move towards a circle economy. What are the main challenges for retailers to become more sustainable? The major challenge is not the availability of sufficient green energy sources. This is a journey that has to be done with local governmental bodies, however it can also be achieved with investments and greater commitment. On a product level, we still live in a culture of “easy replacement” however we believe that there are growing opportunities within refurbishment. We remain fully committed to supporting the consumer in repairing their devices IFA Sommergarten A30 Hans Carpels Co-founder, Euronics © Ramsey Cardy - UEFA/UEFA via Sportsfile IFA INTERNATIONAL • FRIDAY 2 ND SEPTEMBER 2022 17
