Home Appliances ANALYSIS: REFRIGERATION


Cool Runnings 24


From fridges that use coloured light to maintain freshness to Wi-Fi cameras which the user can access from anywhere, we explore some of the latest trends in refrigeration and ask how retailers can best demonstrate the benefi ts. Francesca Seden reports.


L-R: Siemens, Bosch, KitchenAid, Hotpoint, Amica, Hisense & Whirlpool.


International, the refrigeration market contracted in volume sales in 2018 and 2019. But despite this, refrigeration is experiencing a strong process of innovation with consumers increasingly interested in high capacity connected appliances with features designed to keep food fresher for longer. Premiumisation was also a key driver across the appliance market in 2019, with consumers choosing to spend a little more on feature-rich appliances they know are more likely to stand the test of time. And even though trading up is often inevitable with fridge freezers that are often an emergency and replacement purchase, this is potentially good news for savvy, independent appliance retailers who can use their knowledge and expertise to encourage customers to further invest in products that offer a sleek, high-end finish. Food waste is a big problem in the UK, but things


A


are slowly improving. Research from WRAP showed that in 2007 we threw away 8.1 million tonnes of household food waste in the UK, compared to 6.6 million tonnes in 2018; of this figure, almost three quarters (70 per cent of the total) is food we could have eaten (4.5 million tonnes).


ccording to research by Euromonitor


Consumers are becoming increasingly eco- conscious but also time-poor so they want to be able to do a big shop once a week in the knowledge that they can store everything and it will remain fresh. Manufacturers have responded with high capacity models with a whole host of innovations. Beko launched its new HarvestFresh technology


at IFA last year and this uses coloured lights – green, blue and red – which mimic the 24-hour sun cycle of natural sunlight to recreate a living environment – including times of darkness – for fruit and vegetables long after they have been harvested.


Studies have shown that this technology has helped


preserve vitamin A and vitamin C levels for much longer, the company claims. By utilising the power of varying light combinations, fruits and vegetables vitamins are preserved naturally, encouraging a healthier diet. Models featuring HarvestFresh technology will be released later this year.


Flexibility


Hisense and Electrolux both offer flexible storage. Hisense’s My Fresh Choice features compartments that are independently controlled from the rest of the appliance so they can adjust to be an extension of the


fridge or freezer section dependent on user needs, while AEG’s CustomFlex modular storage system allows fridges to be customised by rearranging as drawers and trays. This flexibility of refrigeration products has grown considerably in recent years, with Indesit, Whirlpool, Amica and others all having similar models. Indesit Brand Manager, Sara Bazeley, notes that the appliances in Indesit’s eXtra


cooling range


feature Optimal Humidity technology to protect food from deterioration through drying out by constantly monitoring and adjusting the humidity levels inside the fridge. “Furthermore, Pure Wind technology keeps


food fresher for longer by quickly restoring the temperature inside the fridge freezer every time the door is opened,” she adds. Whirlpool’s 6th Sense FreshLock system creates an optimal environment for storing fresh and frozen food by automatically detecting and controlling any temperature variation. Meanwhile, for Electrolux, its ‘MultiFlow’ technology provides a uniform flow of air throughout a fridge freezer and protects consumers’ food from sudden temperature or humidity changes.


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