dishwashers


Ditch the marigolds, embrace the dishwasher


Britain still lags behind mainland Europe in dishwasher usage – but is this about to change?


F


or all its green credentials and the time savings it undoubtedly passes on to the user, the dishwasher is still


not an appliance installed in the majority of British kitchens. This month, IER hears from the major brands to find out more and to offer advice to retailers looking to grow this part of their business. Firstly, the good news – the dishwasher


market has grown slightly over the past couple of years, as Charles Bernstein, Category and Trade Marketing Manager, Dishwashers at Whirlpool, explains. “According to Euromonitor International, dishwasher penetration here in the UK currently sits at 43.1 percent, an increase from 41.5 percent in 2016. In 2017, volume sales of built-in dishwashers increased by 7.4 percent, to reach 647,300 units.” As far as the top end of the market is concerned, growth seems a little healthier, as Luke Harding, Head of Electrical Retail at AEG UK, explains. “The premium dishwasher market has been growing over the last three years, with an increase of +20 percent. However, we’ve noticed that the integrated


dishwasher market has started to slow down in the last year.” Jennifer Taylor, Head of Brand at Hotpoint,


agrees that there is growth in the market. “The dishwasher market is growing and in 2017, dishwashers experienced the strongest growth in major domestic appliances throughout the year. Despite this, dishwashers make up just nine per cent of the major domestic appliances market. The relatively low penetration of dishwashers in UK households (41 percent), means that dishwasher ownership is still behind other markets across Europe, such as France, Italy and Germany, who have greater market penetration.” So how to explain this disparity between


British and European ownership? Sara Bazely, Brand Manager at Indesit, believes education is needed. “Many consumers still hold the belief that dishwashers use high levels of water and energy and are expensive to run. However, dishwashers are actually efficient and highly effective appliances that can help save users time and resources. There also remains a significant disconnection between consumers and their understanding of a dishwasher’s water consumption compared to washing-up by


The dishwasher is inceasingly finding a home in the nation's kitchens


hand. Many modern dishwashers use as little as nine litres of water to clean a full load, much less than washing up by hand, which typically uses approximately 103 litres of water. “Another factor affecting growth in the


dishwasher market is the lack of space in many consumers’ homes. To combat this, most manufacturers now offer slimline and built-in models to overcome issues related to compact living spaces. For example, the brand new Indesit freestanding slimline Push&Go dishwasher (DSFO 3T224 Z UK) is just 450 mm wide, meaning that it fits perfectly into the increasingly compact space of the modern kitchen.” Alex Lucas, Category Manager,


Slimline models are becoming increasingly popular 20 | www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk


Freestanding Dishwashing at BSH, agrees that an educated consumer will make informed buying decisions, and maintains that the trade has a part to play. “BSH is working hard to challenge the perception that the dishwasher is an extravagant luxury that consumes unnecessary amounts of water and energy. In actual fact, there are many benefits to having a dishwasher. For example, your kitchen is cleaner because you haven’t got dirty plates hanging around on the side waiting to be washed up. What’s more, a dishwasher uses far less water and energy than washing up by hand, plus it’s more hygienic. “It’s difficult to communicate these key messages because if a consumer is not a current dishwasher user, they are not open to them — dishwashers simply aren’t on their radar. I think the trade can help change this by including a dishwasher every time they are specifying a kitchen.”


April 2019


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