floorcare


As expected, consumers are increasingly opting for cordless appliances in 2019 As expected, cordless


his month, in our regular review of the floorcare market, we hear from Sue Lovedale, business


director at Hoover SDA, Novia Imm, Category Manager, Floorcare at Bosch, and Justin Binks, Director at SEBO (UK), who offer their thoughts on the state of the sector and what to look out for in 2019, the challenges it faces, and the best way for retailers to maximise sales and ensure that consumers get the products they really want. According to Sue Lovedale, 2018 was a


steady year, albeit with a slight downturn in the final quarter. “Overall, 2018 was a good year. Sales remained stable and whilst it didn’t have the peaks and troughs we saw throughout 2017, the market remained strong. “Q4 was the biggest change in 2018 and


played host to an 8.5 per cent reduction in sales value compared to the previous year. “Surprisingly, cordless was the hardest hit, 26 per cent down on volume compared to November 2017. Although the category


saw a downturn towards the end of last year overall, the style continues to grow in popularity, with consumers and retailers both becoming more familiar with their ease of use and many other benefits.” On the factors contributing to this


performance, she adds: “Unlike MDA, the SDA market doesn’t tend to be determined by a season or a particular buying period. However, discount events such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday do tend to prompt sales spikes. In 2018, major brands weren’t offering as much discount on vacuums, particularly cordless models, as they had previously during this busy period; this undoubtedly impacted the Q4 figures.”


Key trends for 2019 For Novia Imm, the standout trend this year is cordless appliances. “Where previously the market was very much split between upright and cylinder vacuum cleaners, almost half is now made up of cordless products.


has become the number one choice for consumers


“Speed and convenience is driving this


trend. Consumers clean differently to how they did before. At one time, people would have put aside a day for cleaning. But as lifestyles and consumer interests have changed, people don’t want to spend their precious free time cleaning and are looking for solutions that make vacuuming easier and faster. “Cordless vacuum cleaners tend to be


lighter, which is a plus point with consumers who don’t want to carry a heavy appliance round the house. They also save time because they don’t have to be plugged in and then taken out again as you move to a different room.” Sue Lovedale agrees. “As expected, cordless has become the number one choice for consumers. By the close of 2018 cordless


Cordless is king T


Consumers looking for time-saving appliances are increasingly going cordless 28 | www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk February / March 2019


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