NEWS | Round-up VIEWPOINT Holiday season – a


blow to KBB spending? As we reach the halfway point, Richard Hibbert, KBSA national chair, considers how the market for independents looks for the remainder of the year


MDAs will have to change, says report


WITH AN ageing population, depleting resources, new eating habits and net-zero targets for 2050, MDAs will have to change to be future-proof.


ANYONE EXPECTING 2022 to be quieter or more stable than the last year will have been disappointed, as the war in Ukraine and the implications of coming out of lockdown create new challenges. At the beginning of the year, retailers were busy with


full order books as the pent-up demand from lockdown continued despite rising prices, delays in the supply chain and a severe shortage of fitters. With business so busy, some retailers will have eased back on marketing, focusing their efforts on current projects. But as we move into the second half of the year, and the onset of the holiday season, it is likely that the explosion in demand will slow down. This holiday season presents people with the first chance in two years or more for a real break, which will draw people away from showrooms. As they will not be at home for extended periods, they are likely to have less time, in general, to plan home improvements. In addition to reducing the spare time they have, the easing of restrictions is giving people more options for spending. That new car may now be an option, creating more competition for limited funds. Homeowners will also be feeling the impact of the hike in energy prices and the rising cost of living, which may cause them to revise their spending.


Retailers that invest in marketing and adapt to a changing market will flourish


All of these factors could lead to lower demand, making it more difficult for showrooms to capture and convert new customers. Those showrooms


that have eased up on their marketing will find it harder to react to a slowing market. However, there will be opportunities at the top end of the market as those customers with the money to invest will still continue to spend, unaffected by economic pressures. Homeowners have also changed their perceptions of how much value they put on their time at home, creating a step change in how much they are willing to spend.


This has translated into people spending more on appliances that may have been considered luxuries before. People are also looking for better quality furniture and worktops as they want the best for their hard-working kitchen. The new status of the kitchen in the home will continue to offer opportunities for retailers to increase order values and make more profit. As we move into summer, homeowners will also be wanting to take their entertaining outdoors, leading to a surge of interest in outdoor kitchens. KBB retailers are well placed to transfer their design skills to the outdoor space and diversify into this lucrative market. Whatever the next 12 months bring, retailers that continue to invest in marketing and build a business that can be flexible and adaptable to react to changing market conditions will flourish.


8


That is the conclusion of the ‘Fridge 2050’ report on the future of major domestic appliances prepared for the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) by City University of London. The report’s authors, Dr Sam Brooks and Prof Rajkumar Roy, concluded: “We need to ensure future efficiency benefits are affordable and available to a broad section of society, either with appliances sold as a service or with affordable


upgrades with remanufacturing.


Manufacturers have played a key role in creating efficient appliances. They should also take an active role in the end life of MDAs or support other organisations working on reusing, recycling and remanufacturing old MDAs. “As we approach 2050, our [appliances] will have to change to be future-proof. Improvements to existing designs should still be encouraged, including further research and concept designs. The key technology for our ‘Fridge 2050’ might not yet exist.” The report said that reducing energy use was a key priority and highlighted that energy usage of fridge-freezers had fallen by around 50% in the past 20 years, with that of washing machines and dryers falling by 20%. The report concluded that smart connected appliances


are growing in popularity and


affordability and that the long lifespan and high cost of MDAs are likely to lead to a gradual uptake of these smart appliances. Smart appliances, it said, have the potential


to help us address environmental challenges, encourage us to eat sustainably or tell us food is going off, while washing machines can adjust water or power depending on how dirty clothing is, and all appliances could coordinate with the national grid to optimise when power is used. Turning to cooking appliances, it felt it was unlikely that robotic, automated systems would be fully trusted by consumers and concluded that assisted cooking systems that help users to cook, explore different recipes and monitor the cooking process for optimal results, would be much more useful.


cooking


In terms of energy usage, the report said appliances had not


reduced their


energy usage greatly because of the need to preheat, and pointed to a new oven design by Brave that uses infra-red to heat up different zones quickly, removing the need for preheating. It said that there was still a preference for


cooking on gas in the UK but that this is likely to change as Government pushes to reduce the UK’s gas usage due to the finite supply, urging a transition either to electric power or hydrogen. New designs or conversion kits would be needed for hydrogen gas operation, and the report said that in new-builds induction hobs are likely to become dominant as prices fall. It also pointed out new designs should be “movable and adaptable” and that induction technology may not be limited to hobs. It pointed to the Whirlpool Absolute oven that has


· June 2022


an induction shelf. In future, it suggested that ideas such as a clip-on induction element for pans and wall-mounted hobs would be beneficial for smaller living spaces. In refrigeration, the report said that VCC


(vapour compression cycle) refrigeration is still likely to dominate cooling technology in 2050, but with higher-efficiency compressors and only HC gases. It suggested that solid-state cooling refrigerators could be seen soon, though


currently these are not developed


enough for widespread domestic use. It also pointed to new features to reduce door opening and feed back to users to help prevent food waste. It saw improved insulation as a way to help reduce power usage. In washing machines and dryers, it said they will have to catch microfibres as well as improving efficiency. Lower temperature and water use should be encouraged by using active oxygen or ultrasound technology to aid cleaning by vibrating jelly instead of using water (an Electrolux Design Lab entry). While for drying, new heat pumps and vacuum dryers can help drive greater efficiency. It also pointed out that one company, Morus is promising a dryer using vacuum technology (pictured) that it says is 40% more efficient and dries clothes in just 15 minutes. To cope with the UK’s ageing population, research has shown that complete automation causes confusion and would result in lower uptake, and the report concluded that instead smart tech that assists with everyday tasks is a better solution. It also referred to voice activation to remove the need for less able users to grapple with buttons and switches. Strangely, the issue of accessibility is not highlighted. And in terms of the circular economy and embracing the key practices of reduce, recycle, reuse and remanufacture, the report said that most manufacturers concentrate on the first two and neglect reuse and remanufacture. It proposed the use of more recyclable materials and said that with new right to repair laws there may be a growing industry for MDA repair. It said that currently in the UK, remanufacture is based primarily in the automotive, aerospace and heavy-duty off-road products, but it suggested remanufacturing could be combined with leasing of products to enable lower- income families to buy more expensive premium products.


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