SHOW REVIEW | IFA Berlin
‘The kitchen studio market is
an expanding area for Beko’ Ragip Balcioglu, chief commercial officer, Arçelik (Beko/Grundig), EMENA and Americas
Q & A
Q: Is built-in and integrated now a growing segment for Beko? A: Definitely. We are a growing company both in the UK and Europe, which is quite nice as the markets are choppy at the moment, and that growth is coming from built-in.
Q: In the UK, what percentage of your sales is built-in? A: Our main driver for the past three years has been built-in. We are at about 30% for built-in, which is close to the market, which I believe is around 25%-ish. The UK is slightly lagging behind France and Germany, but it is gaining on them rapidly. We are also the market leader in the UK.
Q: Are you expanding the built-in range? A: Certainly, yes, particularly on the cooking side. We have a complete new range of ovens, both Grundig and Beko, and we launched last year a complete new design – not just of the aesthetics but also the engineering, which was redesigned from scratch. That was a big investment. They have the Aero Perfect feature, which is a combination of how we design the temperature control and the fans so that temperature variations and energy efficiency are significantly improved. We also have new induction hobs, where we have significant product expansion and innovation and new features. The other biggest categories for us are dishwashers and cooling.
Q: How important is the kitchen studio market for Beko? A: The kitchen studio market is very important although the majority of our sales are currently coming from traditional [electrical] retailers. So we are trying to expand into two areas of the market. One is the built-in market, which since 2009 we have put significant investment into and then, of course, the kitchen studio market. The kitchen studio market has different product and service requirements and we have a separate division in our company that looks after that part of the market. We also have [specialist] kitchen channel distributors, that help us with installations and other requirements. This will
definitely be an expanding area for Beko. We have the breadth and depth of products to serve the kitchen specialist market and its needs, as well as the replacement and the more traditional market. In Italy, we are partnering with kitchen manufacturers.
In Germany, Europe’s biggest kitchen manufacturer, Nobilia, is our main partner. In France, it’s Schmidt. And [there are] a number of other companies that we are growing with, and in the UK the requirements and approach is the same. Overall, we are preparing our product ranges and our specific operational requirements for this market. We are running a project now to completely reshape our approach to the built-in market to make it more attractive and competitive in the channels that I mentioned. We call the whole built-in project ‘Think Kitchen’. It starts from the kitchen.
Our aim, and we have already started to do it, is to partner up with certain kitchen manufacturers so that we include them during the design phase of our products and learn the particular requirements of that market and adapt our products.
Q: What about UK partnerships? A: We have a partnership with Howdens and we are their largest partner for appliances. We have made incredible learnings from that and those are already being transferred to the mainstream kitchen channel.
We had some operational
Q: Do you think that the time is currently right and that there is a big opportunity for Beko to expand its kitchen studio market? A: I would like to think so. Although the challenges are continuing in terms of supply of certain components, demand is decreasing, which will take some of the pressure off the supply chain. We
are still seeing erratic
bottlenecks. Much less than the competition. But our instructions to all our production plants was to produce 100% of built-in orders first
component supply. In terms of components, we are able to switch very quickly from one component to another without affecting quality or function of products and that gives us an edge. And we are investing in enhancing capacity.
During Covid, because kitchen renovations and new kitchens, with people improving their homes were all significantly up, we had some
operational bottlenecks.
Much less than the competition, I must say, but we had some challenges.
But our instructions to all our production plants was to produce 100% of built-in orders first and whatever remains can be freestanding.
That’s how we operated and that was a significant boost for us in terms of growth.
Q: And so your kitchen studios won’t be waiting six months for appliances? A: Not with us. One or two weeks, but not six months.
Q: And in terms of sustainability, retailers tell us people are just not asking for sustainable products. Is there still a big education job to be done? A: Million dollar question! Yes, definitely, but despite a number of surveys that say consumers are willing to pay more [for sustainable products], actually they are not. They expect the products to be reliable and efficient. Certainly the new generation is much more into a sustainable approach and that will grow. I believe things will change big time, because the environment that we are entering into will force that. The rising cost of energy will make consumers more aware of that. I think most people will decide to spend a little more if they will save more.
52
Bosch in Hall 1,1
vide and convection with Dual Cook Flex, which among other things lets you steam in one part of the oven and bake in the other.
The Series 5 oven offers a solo microwave as well as air fry, Dual Cook and steam cooking, while Series 6 has a larger LCD display, a combi microwave and air fry in the upper oven with air fry, air sous vide and full steam in the lower oven. Series 7 goes handleless with an auto-open door, full steam, air fry and in the lower oven air fry, air sous vide and full steam. Beige and navy colourways were also on show. Series 6 and 7 models are due in October/November.
Samsung was showing new induction hobs too to match its ovens, with a white Bespoke option on display to gauge industry reaction. The hobs all featured flexi-zones. There was also a new built-in dishwasher on show, due later this year. In laundry, Samsung had a new Bespoke addition using AI. An 11kg washer featured Ecobubble, which mixes air, water and detergent to create bubbles that seep into clothes faster, and a digital inverter. There was also a matching 9kg heat-pump tumble-dryer in black or white. In Hall 4, AEG unveiled its latest products. For the kitchen, it had fridges and freezers designed to reduce food waste, including the 7000 Integrated Green Zone/GreenZone+, while the 8000 Cooling 360° reduces waste by 20% by keeping food fresher for longer. The 8000 wine cellar aims to keep wine in perfect condition for longer with humidity control and a UV-resistant glass door and UV-free LED interior lighting. In laundry, AEG had new washers and tumble-dryers with a water-saving steam function and programs that adjust for a specific load. The washer also has a filter that is said to capture up to 90% of microplastics released by synthetic clothing. Also using the steam function to refresh clothes uses 96% less water than a regular wash. Smart appliances are becoming the norm and they were out in force at this year’s IFA. Although many consumers may be unaware of what they can do, they offer features that can make their lives easier and offer significant energy and water savings at a time when reducing energy bills will surely become a priority for buyers.
· October 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
