News Morphy Richards brand sold to Chinese manufacturer


The Morphy Richards home appliances brand is reportedly being sold to a Chinese company. News came through to ERT that the current


owner of the brand, Glen Dimplex, is selling to Guangdong Xinbao Electrical Appliance Holdings (Xinbao) – which already manufactures Morphy Richards products in China.


Both companies had signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” regarding the purchase of the global brand in a deal believed to be worth more than £170 million. The Chinese and British operations will be fully transferred initially, while Glen Dimplex will keep rights to distribute the brand under licence in Ireland,


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Australia and New Zealand for “at least” 10 years. The transaction is subject to Chinese government


approval, and it is expected to close by the end of the year. According to The Irish Times, Glen Dimplex staff


were told of the deal on 8 June in an email from Fergal Leamy, Chief Exec of the Glen Dimplex group. He said the Irish company decided to sell after it received an approach from Xinbao. The paper reported that Mr Leamy told staff that he and Fergal Naughton, the Executive Chairman of Glen Dimplex, had been working with the Chinese company for two years on a plan to further develop


the Morphy Richards brand in China. This then led to an offer of an outright purchase of the brand. “We felt it made sense,” Mr Leamy wrote. He also told The Irish Times, “it is very attractive for us. Normally we would be more of an acquirer than a company that sells.” Other brands owned by Glex Dimplex include


Roberts Radio, Stoves and Belling. It acquired the British Morphy Richards brand – which specialises in toasters, kettles, irons and other kitchen appliance products – in 1985. By the early 2000s, Morphy factories in England and Ireland started to close down as production moved to Asia.


This year’s Exclusively Show saw footfall up nearly 30 per cent on last year and ahead of many pre- pandemic shows, with enthusiastic feedback from exhibitors, retail buyers and media visitors. Mr Jones continued: “The show was a sell-out


with great support from the whole industry, and I was particularly delighted with the retailer buy-in to the initiatives we offered up-front. “We delivered our busiest-ever international Meet the Buyer event on the Monday evening with retailers coming from all over the globe, including USA and South Africa. This is especially pleasing in the context of Covid and Brexit – clearly, international retailers are still keen on doing business with UK suppliers.” The show’s trend areas had many retailers booked


‘A great buzz’ at Exclusively 2022!


“Exclusively 2022 was a fabulous event with lots of energy and excitement.” That is according to Will


Introduced into the UK in January, Kaiser major domestic appliances are now available for UK retailers to order – with “strong levels” of stock at its Hertfordshire warehouse, it said. From statement island hoods to built-in ovens complete with air-fryer technology, Kaiser manufactures a diverse selection of appliances, benefitting from robust German engineering to ensure functionality and longevity.


Jones, the Chair of Exclusively and Chief Operating Officer of BHETA, which organises the show.


To support independent kitchen retailers, Kaiser


offers free UK delivery, professional installation services, a UK-based customer care team in addition to 24 month product warranties and UK wide parts and servicing operations. Director Niko Skarlatos said: “Our Kaiser UK


warehouse is well stocked and can offer support to those projects that may be on-hold due to appliance shortages. We are looking forward to working with independent kitchen specialists.”


on Trend Tours and Trend Talks; the brand Showcase played host to hundreds of media visitors and Swan worked with top ‘cleanfluencer’ Lynsey Crombie, the ‘Queen of Clean’. Mr Jones reported that he has seen “record re- bookings” for the 2023 show… “In fact over a third of the hall is already re-booked,” he said. In next month’s issue of ERT there will be a full review of the show.


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