Home Appliances ANALYSIS: REFRIGERATION
Finally, CDA’s PC900SS/PC900BL four-door
fridge freezer is equipped with a range of features including Q drink for quick cooling of beverages to a multi-zone section which can either be used as a fridge or a freezer for total food storage flexibility. It also features Cold Wrap Cooling – a system that circulates cool air around food.
Clever connectivity 26
While consumers have been sceptical about Wi-Fi and remote technology in this market in the past, elements such as cameras and clever inventories that notify the user when a use-by date is approaching can be genuinely useful if used properly. BSH’s Home Connect models (including the new Siemens iQ700 KA92DHXFP fridge-freezer), for example, have two cameras in the fridge, so homeowners can check the contents wherever they are via the Home Connect phone app. This can also suggest where certain foods should be best stored in the fridge and it even makes recipe suggestions. Hoover’s AXI Fridge Freezer (far right) is Wi-Fi- enabled and features an Inventory Coach; controlled through the Hoover Wizard App, users can update the Coach as shopping is unloaded into the fridge.
Steve Macdonald, Business Director, Freestanding Division at Hoover Candy UK, adds that new technology is also making its way to chest freezers. “Hoover’s latest models now incorporate interactive displays and compatibility with the Wizard App; this allows consumers to record the freezer contents, keep an eye on dates, receive hints on food storage and access troubleshooting advice.” It is also worth mentioning some new technology
that is being developed for freezers – namely, low frost. Carrie Bell, Consumer Marketing Manager at CDA and Amica, describes this as a “halfway house between a standard freezer that needs defrosting and a full no-frost that never needs to be defrosted”. “Basically it still needs to be defrosted, but much
less frequently than a standard freezer. It is also cheaper to buy than full frost-free,” she says.
Chic chillers For those who are keen to have all the functionality as well as make a style statement there’s KitchenAid’s Iconic, Smeg’s 50s style FAB fridge freezers and Hisense’s sleek PureFlat range which are due to be launched later this year. The PureFlat range (including the RQ563 and
Iceking celebrates 25th anniversary
Founded in 1995 by siblings Annabelle, Adrian and Robert Gillman, the Iceking brand, originally called ‘King’, has gone from strength to strength and is well- known in the industry for its reliability and excellent value. And now, the family is celebrating the 25-year
anniversary of the refrigeration brand. “We started the brand in 1995 when very few people
were doing what we were doing,” Adrian Gillman tells ERT. “We knew there was a demand for a wider range of energy effi cient refrigeration with competitive pricing, but sourcing our own products was new territory for us. We started out by visiting factories abroad and seeing the quality and production lines and went from there.” Iceking initially offered a range of chest freezers and four undercounter models, all sourced from Italy and Denmark. “Our fi rst ever order was for 3,500 units, which was big for us at the time. Thankfully it was well received and by our third year of trading we had sold well over 10,000 units,” adds Mr Gillman. This growth persuaded the family to make their fi rst
of three moves into larger premises alongside D.A.D. The company’s warehouses went from 7,000sq ft in 1995 to now a 320,000sq ft facility in Ashchurch, Gloucestershire comprising a dedicated Iceking ‘wing’, which was built in 2013. “We’re proud that it’s a product that does exactly what it says on the tin,” comments Robert Gillman. “As appliance engineers in our early days, we knew we had a good eye for quality and reliability, and this is still paramount within the range today. That said, we still wouldn’t have guessed it would be as successful a brand as it is now. “These are products that, once sold, we very rarely hear about again, which proves how reliable they really are,” he adds.
Family values: Pictured above, Adrian Gillman, and his siblings, Annabelle and Robert Gillman, pictured top.
The Iceking range has expanded to offer a full complement of refrigeration, including freestanding and integrated units, table tops and the manufacturer’s signature chest freezers. It has recently added a new
RF540) will be available in brushed and a black steel finish, adding that premium touch. Nick Fletcher, Marketing Manager at Hisense UK, comments: “The new products will look to support lifestyle trends by featuring stylistic elements like wine cooling facilities. Built-in wine coolers are also a nifty way to free up space within the fridge and allow wine to be stored at the optimum temperatures.”
American side-by-side also, which launches this month.
Robert Gillman continues: “I realised we were becoming a bit of a household name when I saw our products in my local gym and at Heathrow Airport! I often spot them on the TV, be it a mini fridge on EastEnders, or a large chest freezer in a police drama. We even saw an Iceking fridge in the Christmas Special of Gavin and Stacey at the end of last year too! Looking ahead, Mr Gillman is planning for “more of the same – to continue understanding the market, listening to our customers and providing products they want and need, with quality, reliability and affordability at the core”.
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