the BIG interview


retailers and some of the multiple retailers, to buy their appliances. “Over a long term, I think we all know that online is probably going to steadily grow, but I think some people have been surprised at the kind of boomerang effect,” he said. “Some of the sales have come back to the independents and to some degree that’s nice to see for those people who spend money on their shops, and have the displays.” While Candy and Hoover are well established brands in the UK, the focus for the business is to try and push the Haier brand. “It’s so important to get people to touch and


feel a product because it is a relatively new brand to the market,” Mr MacDonald said. “Even though you’ve probably heard about it for the last 10 or 15 years, the consumer is still not fully aware of the Haier brand. “After buying GE Appliances in North


America, it’s done exceptionally well with Fisher & Paykel in Australia and New Zealand; Haier’s exceptionally good in their own market in China, and it’s been very successful in Japan – the European market is probably the last piece of the puzzle.” Mr MacDonald said that one of the key


reasons that Haier bought Candy for was for its connectivity platforms. “We all know that’s a key benefit for all the brands going forward,” he said. “We’ve also seen phenomenal growth on


built-in and we’re just trying to understand where the market will go next. We’re still on this drive to be the number one group. From my point of view, I think we will do that and, hopefully, we’ll do that with, all of the retailers that we want to do it with, including bricks and mortar retailers, as well as online.”


‘‘ The juggernaut of a big


Chinese brand comes with a lot of expectation


Mr MacDonald said that there are


opportunities in appliances for independent retailers. “We will only get so far with our current


retailers, we’re capping ourselves,” he said. “I think there’s an opportunity for some of independents to get on board with us going forward from 2022. “We’re trying to develop a strategy for Haier and I think we’ll growing relatively quickly. We want to go into key independent dealers who


Below: Haier helps Liverpool’s Built-in Kitchen Appliances create ‘best in class’ display Below right: H-WASH 14kg washing machine HWB 414AMC


will sell the quality of product, and it has to be displayed in in the right way. “There are opportunities out there. We’ve seen certain department stores struggle, and there’s a whole opportunity out there for independents to redefine the market. Independents can offer a kind of bespoke service. John Lewis is struggling to kind of stabilise its business, so there is something there for the independents.” In-store, Mr MacDonald, said it’s important


to demonstrate to customers and explain the benefits of Hoover and Haier, and then link that to connectivity. “We have to manage the market as best as


we can, but the independents will be a key part of that strategy,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt because when you think about it, John Lewis has cut some of its stores and Currys will not service some of those parts of the country, where independents do very well. “The business has grown over the last 10


years and now has the firepower of a Chinese company with the investments that it can make. We’ve just opened a new tumble-dryer factory, and we’re likely to open a new dishwasher factory next year. “I don’t think there is any other white goods manufacturer investing in factories at the moment. We opened a cooling factory in Romania this year and the new tumble-dryer factory will enable us to produce 1.5 million products a year.” Mr MacDonald continued: “Going forward,


we may have more plants in Europe as well to sustain that growth because it’s not just the UK that is looking for that growth. The European business is on a massive growth spurt.”


November 2021 www.ierdaily.co.uk | 15


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