L
B LUXURY BRANDS Annabel Pottinger
Electrolux
BKU’s Matt Broughton caught up with Annabel Pottinger, Channel Manager Kitchen Retail Nationals & Studios for Electrolux.
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the market continues to see challenges,” says Electrolux’s Annabel Pottinger when I ask about 2024 so far. “However, our kitchen studio partners are a vital part of our business and a key reason why 2024 has been such a success so far. They have remained strong in what has been a very tough market for everyone.” Sustainability has continued to be an enormous
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focus for the company and there’s no question Electrolux is a leader in the industry in this area. Annabel explains: “Our efforts are widely recognised, as the Financial Times recently deemed Electrolux Group as Europe’s leading appliance manufacturer on the Europe Climate Leaders 2024 list1. Electrolux Group was also included in TIME’s recent 2024 list of the world’s most sustainable companies2. The global non- profit organisation, CDP gave Electrolux Group an A-grade for its work on climate action and supplier climate change engagement, and an A- for water management3.” I ask Annabel what she thinks it takes for
consumers to see products as ‘luxury’ these days. “To qualify as a true luxury product they are also looking for personalised customer service, in- person advice and demonstrations of products in-store enhance the consumer experience – so we support our retailers in these key areas through our dedicated team of training managers, who provide training programmes and toolkits to ensure all retailers and designers have the most up-to date knowledge on our appliances and technologies. We can build great appliances, but without our retail partners we can’t deliver a truly premium experience.”
n a period of political and economic uncertainty, there’s no denying that
Built-in appliances “It’s definitely the key consumer trend in kitchen design,” says Annabel when I ask about the company’s various built-in offerings. “The most popular built-in appliances are found within our Taste category, which includes our Fridge Freezers, Ovens, Hobs and Wine Cabinets. A key line that we recently launched is our new AEG SaphirMatt Induction Hob. This was developed in response to consumer research that revealed scratches and cleaning are the biggest frustrations consumers experience when owning a hob. The unique ceramic glass on the SaphirMatt Induction hob is 4 x more scratch resistant and twice as easy to clean than traditional ceramic hob glass4. This product represents our holistic approach to kitchen solutions, placing durability, sustainability, and design at the heart of all of our products, and as a result we are proud to have been crowned the winner at the Red Dot Awards for the ‘Best of the Best’ in Product Design, 2024.”
All of Electrolux’s major built-in product
categories feature innovative designs and technologies that are focused on bringing more sustainable solutions to customers. The EcoLine selection of AEG appliances is a great example of this commitment to energy efficiency in the home and was created in response to research showing that over three-quarters (88%) of Electrolux’s customers want brands to help them be more environmentally friendly5. “This is one of the key reasons we have designed appliances including hobs, fridge freezers, dishwashers, and ovens that feature our highest UK energy rating, such as the AEG 9000 SteamPro Oven (Energy Rating A++), which is 20% more energy efficient than a traditional non-steam oven6.”
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We can build great appliances, but without our retail partners we can’t deliver a truly premium experience
I ask Annabel what the rest of 2024 holds.
“Throughout 2024 we’ve been building even stronger relationships with our kitchen studio partners and will continue to do so. We’re building momentum in this industry, and we want to accelerate that into 2025 and beyond. We’re continuing our efforts by ensuring we are supporting customers with the tools they need to not only accelerate growth but provide genuine, quality kitchen solutions to the end consumer. “We will also continue the hard work we’ve
put in towards achieving our ambitious climate goals as part of our sustainability framework, ‘For the Better 2030’. This framework continues to drive our business toward climate neutrality and circularity between 2020 and 2030 and across the value chain by 2050, all of which will help us achieve a ‘Better Company, Better Solutions and Better Living’ within society.”
1 Europe’s Climate Leaders 2024: interactive listing (
ft.com) 2 World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2024 | TIME 3 Electrolux Group Sustainability Report 2023 4 Based on external tests, compared to AEG’s standard
hob surface without special treatment or coating according to internal specifications and relevant EN, ISO, NF or DIN standards, when available.
5 AEG Green Gap Survey 2019 for Electrolux’s Better Living Programme
6
https://www.aeg.co.uk/kitchen/cooking/ovens/steam- oven/bsk999330b/
40 BKU AUGUST 2024
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