HAIER: DAVID MEYEROWITZ THE ERT INTERVIEW


Haier's new Brand Activation Centre 20


Q: You recently opened your new Brand Activation Centre. What was the motivation behind this? DM: In January 2019 we established new UK headquarters in Warrington, Cheshire and the move provided us with an opportunity to rationalise our estate and create a central hub that would serve all business needs. Essentially, the new brand activation centre


is a purpose-built, stand-alone facility to showcase our three brands. Created to deliver a fully-immersive, branded experience, it’s also built across from our offices and provides a clear differentiation between our front- and back-office functions. Comprising several zones, it provides


separate showroom areas for each brand, a chef’s theatre for cooking demonstrations, a meeting centre including an auditorium, four meeting rooms and ample breakout and relaxation spaces. Each of the showrooms are tastefully styled


to demonstrate USPs of the Haier, Hoover and Candy brands and house more than 140 models from our expansive product portfolio across cooking, cooling, laundry, dishwashing, floorcare and air purification. We have started to use the centre for


socially-distanced meetings and presentations in the auditorium. The additional meeting rooms and hub areas have provided alternative working spaces for those who want to work away from their desk, too.


Q: At IFA 2020, Yannick Fierling [CEO of Haier Europe] announced that all Haier’s products will be smart connected by 2023. Do you think you’re on track to achieve this? DM: We’re definitely on track for all products to be connected by 2023 and have an additional target of 10 million smart users across all brands by this deadline, too. The Red Dot Award-winning hOn app (pictured


right) will service Haier, Hoover and Candy products and our latest models have launched on this platform. Older models will continue to be compatible with the Hoover Wizard and Candy Simply-Fi apps, but the transition over to the hOn platform is well underway.


So, for example, someone could have a Haier washing machine, Hoover fridge and Candy oven and be able to control and monitor them all from the same app. What some people don’t know is that Haier


has been included on the list of BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands for two consecutive years as the world’s first and only IoT ecosystem brand and its subsidiary, Haier Smart Home, is among Fortune’s Global 500 list. We’re so proud to feature in such prestigious lists and I only hope to continue in this respect.


Q: How do you see the home appliance market developing in the coming years? DM: Further advances have been made with our smart and connected appliances, particularly around voice control, app integration and compatibility with digital butlers. Capacity and energy efficiency have remained


high on the agenda for both consumers and manufacturers and we see no signs of this changing. Our ambition continues to be the


democratisation of technology and we foresee increased take-up of connected appliances, especially energy-efficient models. If working from home is going to continue,


consumers will have more touch points with their appliances and therefore will be looking to maximise their investment. Appliances can be controlled and monitored through the hOn app, giving people the opportunity to check usage statistics, monitor maintenance and create their own bespoke programmes, offering the ultimate in flexibility and allowing users to tailor the product(s) to individual household needs.


Q: What can we expect to see from Haier, Hoover or Candy in the rest of this year? DM: Having achieved operating revenue of €7 billion and an increase of 27 per cent YoY, Haier Smart Home is set for big things in 2021. As is Haier Europe, which achieved revenues of more than €2.1 billion in 2020, with an increase of 8.7 per cent YoY. Haier Europe currently has a 7.2 per cent


market share of the home appliance industry (according to Euromonitor International Limited; Consumer Appliances 2021, percentage units


share, 2020 volume sales data) and we’re part-way through consolidating our European leadership in the fields of connectivity and IoT with a multi- brand strategy aimed at delighting consumers with a rich and relevant connected and AI-driven user experience, as well as being the first consumer choice for smart home solutions. We have a number of brand-specific product


developments for the remainder of the year... First, we have a range of cooling models launching throughout H2 across all brands and in different formats, including combis, multi-door and tall lines. Featuring the very latest technology, they will provide flexibility and colour options to consumers. Then in July is Hoover’s biggest game-changing


move for 2021 – the launch of the H-UPRIGHT 300, which will be supported by a comprehensive marketing campaign. We researched extensively with UK consumers around the design and capability preferences of a vacuum cleaner and this model is the result of that. Our most lightweight, steerable upright ever,


the H-UPRIGHT 300 offers no loss of suction and delivers H13 HEPA filtration, making it perfect for allergy sufferers. Also in July is further development and


expansion of the group’s cooking offering, with more details to be released in due course! We have a wide range of marketing activity to


both springboard new launches and accompany category drives. Comprising a range of mass market, targeted and trade initiatives, we’re going to be seen a lot this year. Finally, we continue our 1:Vision journey to


become the UK and Ireland “Supplier of Choice”. Our focus on Product Leadership, Customer Intimacy and Operational Excellence is unwavering in our goal to lead the UK and Ireland domestic appliance markets by 2023.


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