SDA update
Small is beautiful K
With small domestic appliances providing some of the fastest growth sectors in the electricals market, IER spoke to industry experts to learn more about the category
itchen appliances have seen good growth in recent years, but where does the market currently stand?
“The demand for cooking appliances is continuing to grow as UK consumers show an increasing interest in creating home cooked meals,” says Kenwood UK & Ireland marketing director Alex Pickering. “We have seen a focus on convenient products which help them achieve delicious, healthy meals effortlessly and with less mess.” Groupe SEB UK marketing director
Dominik Pytel agrees that market demand remains high. “Small domestic appliances (SDA) markets have continued to perform well throughout 2016. Importantly, they traditionally experience an uplift in sales in the run up to the peak Christmas season; this was certainly the case in 2015 and this year will be no different. “Coffee machines and food preparation
products always do well during this run-up sales period. Sales of coordinated small kitchen appliances, which are strong annual performers, also record increased sales as consumers look to buy high design functional gifts that will brighten up their family and friends’ homes.” More recent market entrants have enjoyed the buoyant performance of the sector. “Following an extremely strong 2015,
this year has seen Smeg’s small domestic appliances range go from strength to strength,” explains Smeg UK product manager Lucy King. “We’ve extended our collection of award winning stand mixer, blender, Which? Best Buy toaster and matching kettle to include a Bottle To Go blender attachment and slow juicer, and we’re shortly to launch our further lines to the range, all in our iconic retro 50s style finish.” The brand benefits from its standing in other areas of the market, as well as wider trends. “Kitchen essentials such as kettles and toasters are always strong sellers, and the extensive Smeg colour options match any and every kitchen,” Lucy explains. “Our wider range of larger appliances, such as ovens, dishwashers and fridge freezers also has a positive brand and sales impact on the SDA range. The popularity of shows such as Great British Bake Off and Masterchef are also further encouraging home cooking and thus
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having a positive impact on our sales of stand mixers and blenders.” The general enthusiasm for cooking is helping drive sales. Alex comments: “Consumers are becoming more creative in the kitchen and therefore need a machine that has the versatility to do this. The Kenwood Chef Titanium taps into this as it has over 20 attachments available, so consumers can really personalise the way they use their Chef in the kitchen. Whether the consumer is a beginner or a seasoned professional, the Chef enables them to feed their creativity in the kitchen. “Healthy eating continues
to be a key trend, which has helped drive sales of blenders, resulting in them accounting for over half of food preparation products sold. The launch of PureJuice tapped into this trend and has become one of the bestselling food preparation appliances in the market.” Multifunctionality is a key element of
Products such as Kenwood’s Chef Titanium include multiple attachments to offer a wider variety of functions
Witt’s connected MyCook Touch, capable of steaming, kneading, blending, boiling, stirring, chopping and frying, without requiring technical skills from the user. “The concept of the MyCook has been out
there for many years, but it’s always been four or five buttons, two knobs, and an arm you need to pull to get it to work,” explains Witt UK & Ireland market manager Bo Simonsen. “You needed to read the instructions and really learn them to make it work. With this, you press a button, and then it goes. “We want people to realise that you can cook using fresh ingredients and it doesn’t take you a long time and it doesn’t have to be hard. There is a trend now for cooking where you know what ingredients are in there. “You have an app on your phone, or you can use the touchscreen on the MyCook. You pick an ingredient, press one button on this recipe, and it gives me the ingredient list. It tells you, step by step, what to do. So, 50g of oil, you pour it in and it automatically weighs to show you how much you need. When you
do each step, you hit next, it tells you what it’s doing (for example, heating the oil to 200 degrees C, in 30 seconds), then beeps when the next step is required.” Bo continues: “It leads you through the
whole recipe. The point is that you walk away; you hear the beep, you go and do the next bit, then leave it to cook. You can’t access the heating element or any blades while it’s in cooking mode, when it’s locked into the top. So it’s safe and my kids can cook for themselves. You can’t start it without it being locked correctly. “It comes with all you need to cook a wide variety of foods, from boiling rice, to steaming vegetables, fish, kneading, boiling… it does all this and you don’t need to know how to cook.” Delivering a product which is straightforward to use, as well as providing multiple functions, is important, Bo believes. “We see a lot of products in this market,
but how many people have surface space to have all these things?” he asks. “So they’re not on the surface, they’re in the cupboard. Then the next place is the garage, or the attic.
October 2016
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