the BIG interview


“We will continue to develop products that are packed with aspirational and energy saving features”


Amica is one of the best known appliance brands in Europe. The company was established in 1957 in Wronki, Poland and since then has developed to be a major producer of sophisticated, energy efficient domestic appliances. With Amica freestanding and integrated cookers, ovens, fridges, freezers, washing


machines, dishwashers, cooker hobs, microwaves and more available from many top UK home and kitchen appliance retailers, today the company is almost unrecognisable from the small operation which began in the 1950s – but still retains its core values and a commitment to providing intuitive, ergonomic technological solutions to household problems.


I


n 2015, Amica bought UK appliance specialist CDA in a deal worth £24.3


million. The purchase was made to strengthen Amica’s position within western Europe. Jacek Rutkowski, president of the board of Amica Wronki said at the time: “With the purchase of CDA, we are strengthening the position of the Amica Group in Western Europe. This transaction guarantees us four times higher sales in the UK and Ireland and a 10 per cent increase in revenues of the Amica Group, excluding future synergies.” We recently caught up with CDA’s Marketing


Manager Steve Corbett to find out more about what drives the company – and what lies ahead. CDA/Amica is a successful business, a fact Steve ascribes to a number of factors.


“We put our success down to providing the market and our retailers with the products they want at the right prices. We offer very good guarantees and after sales service and our warehousing in Langar means that we are able to hold stock in depth. We have our own transport fleet for fast delivery to our retailers. CDA and Amica together offer an enormous choice of products across price bands that run from budget to luxury.” Speaking of the retailers, Steve underlines their importance to the company. “Retailers are our partners and as such are very important to us. The faith retailers have in the Amica brand as an efficient and trusted supplier has helped us to build our position within the market. We listen to what our retailers expect from both the Amica and CDA brands and react to their needs. We back our retailers by investing in


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capacity and many other time saving features and many of our ovens feature pyroclean at mid-market price, bringing this useful and formerly very expensive technology to a bigger audience. We offer everything a consumer wants for the kitchen – from ovens, hobs and extractors to sinks and taps.” Being part of a larger organisation also has benefits for CDA. According to Steve, his colleague Andrzej Sas, vice-president marketing at Amica Wronki S.A, believes that Amica and CDA are a winning partnership, explaining “The experience and knowledge of CDA’s management team, customers and the complementary character of the product portfolio are key. Amica capitalises on the market position of CDA, particularly in the built-in appliances sector where CDA is very experienced. There are exciting opportunities with each of the brands. By keeping each brand autonomous with its own products, innovations and separate distribution channels, both businesses benefit immeasurably.” As we enter an era in which environmental


public relations so that our products are seen in leading homes and interiors publications.” Of course, in a competitive market, a company needs to stay ahead. Steve’s belief is that Amica’s innovation is at the heart of what gives it the edge. “We have advanced manufacturing facilities in Poland and also work closely with world leading producers to develop appliances that meet the highest standards for energy efficiency and performance. We are innovators – our new laundry collection includes steam wash, higher


concerns are increasingly important for consumers, CDA and Amica have energy saving front of mind when it comes to developing new appliances, as Steve explains.


“We know that the way to reduce energy costs and make your life easier is to invest in the latest energy and time saving kitchen appliances. One outstanding example is the latest dishwasher from CDA that has an A++ rating and uses just 9 litres of water to clean a 15 place setting wash load. The fact that using a dishwasher is greener than washing up by hand may come as surprise to most, as the commonly-held belief is that dishwashers use


July / August 2019


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