August/September 2026
housewareslive.net
IFA REVIEW
rather different to show off at IFA. We all know AEG for its home appliances in the UK, where the brand has built a strong position across cooking, laundry and dishwashing. What you might not know is that AEG also has a range of small domestic appliances, they just haven’t really made their way into the UK market. Could that be about to change? Well, not quite yet. During my conversation with Leandro Jasiocha, CEO Region Europe at Electrolux Group, the subject came up. He explained that bringing the brand’s SDA products to the UK is something AEG has been asked about by both retail partners and the press, and, importantly, something the company is considering. One of the products that could make that prospect particularly
interesting was making its world premiere at IFA: the new AEG ErgoMini. It’s an ultra-light handheld vacuum weighing just 0.55kg, designed as a proper grab-and-go cleaner for those little jobs where getting the full vacuum out feels like overkill.
What’s new?
But anyway, what about the products? What do retailers actually need to know from IFA this year? Well, there was certainly plenty to get excited about.
One of the more interesting surprises came during a tour of the Hisense stand, where there was a noticeable change in the Gorenje section. The Slovenian brand, which has been part of Hisense Group since 2018, already has a small presence in the UK home appliance market, although it remains considerably bigger across parts of Eastern Europe. At IFA, however, it was the brand’s small domestic appliances that caught my attention. Coffee machines, toasters, blenders, ice cream makers – you name it, it was probably there. And much of the range had a distinctive retro look that certainly stood out on the stand. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re about to see an enormous
Gorenje SDA range land in UK stores. The brand remains relatively small here and, as anyone who has come across the name before will know, there’s also the small matter of getting consumers to pronounce Gorenje – roughly ‘gor-ren-ya’. But in conversation on the stand, it was hinted to me that bringing
more of these products to the UK is something being considered. What remains unclear is whether they would arrive under the Gorenje name or perhaps Hisense. Either way, it would be an interesting move. SDA is an incredibly competitive market, but these products look different – and in a category where standing out on a shelf or shopfloor counts for a lot, I think they could attract plenty of attention. And Gorenje wasn’t the only familiar MDA name showing ambitions
beyond the large appliances we already know them for. AEG, the premium brand within Electrolux Group, also had something
AEG claims dust pick-up of up to 100 per cent, while cyclone technology separates dust and particles before they reach the filter to help maintain suction between cleans. There’s also an integrated LED light for spotting dirt, USB-C charging and, rather unusually, a blowing function. That last feature means it can do more than just vacuum. AEG suggests it could be used to blow debris As you can
imagine, walking around an exhibition all day for three days on the trot is exhausting. So coffee quickly becomes essential, and at a show with no shortage of small domestic appliances, it had better be good coffee! Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed on the BSH stand, where I got to
have a go with Bosch’s new HomeCafé Series 4, the brand’s first semi- automatic espresso machine. And first impressions? It’s incredibly easy to use. There’s an integrated
grinder, with 30 grind settings and five dosing options, so there’s plenty of control for those who want to get particular about their coffee without making the whole process overly complicated. More importantly, at least for me, it does iced coffee too. And with iced coffee becoming an everyday order rather than just a summer treat, that feels like a must for a modern coffee machine. After three days walking around Messe Berlin, I can also confirm it
makes a very welcome cup of coffee! Of course, not everything you see at IFA makes it to the UK, and sometimes that’s half the fun of going. You get a glimpse of what manufacturers are working on, where they think consumers are heading and, occasionally, what might be coming next. That makes shows like IFA worth paying attention to. Because behind
all the enormous stands, flashing screens and talk of the future, there are products and ideas that could become very real sales opportunities.
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