Hardware I Housewares: '82

Electric housewares No. 1

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utilitarian. "

"Eliminate the luxury items."

"Stay away from high-ticket merchandise. "

"Stress the practical. "

Operating in this plethora of advice, a housewares manager is often confused about what to order for his department. Customer preferences should certainly be his guide, but how does he predict their tastes and wants?

Figures released from a survey conducted by Bee Angell & Associates, Chicago, Il, for the National Housewares Manufacturers Association, should be of help to a buyer who needs to understand the seemingly unpredictable whims of the buying public.

The number one selling category reported was electric housewares with a high figure of 32V0. Second with l39o was merchandise used for cooking and baking. Plastic ware captured 8 9o of the sales while decorative accessories tied with serving and buffet products and accessories including dinner ware, cutlery and flatware ar 7 Vo Outdoor products and accessories ranked at 690. Kitchen tools and gadgets claimed 590. Furniture sales were equal with bath and closet sales at 490. Cleaning products and accessories only claimed 390, supporting a theory that these items are usually purchased at the grocery store. All the other miscellaneous items found in the housewares section accounted for the remaining I l9o of the total 10090.

Color preferences as revealed by the survey are similar to those reported in earlier years. For kitchen appliances and accessories almond ranked high at 4890, the highest rating achieved by a kitchen color since the popularity of avocado in the early '70s. White was the second choice with brown and yellow at the low end.

However, brown edged out al- mond in sales of serving and buffet products and accessories with white in third place. Also rans with scores of 8-990 were earth tones, yellow and beige. For outdoor products and accessories tastes changed with green coming in first followed by yellow, brown, red and white. White was the first choice in bath and closet accessories with brown close behind. Blue ranked third with yellow and almond next.

There seems to be no explanation for the lack of consistency in color choices. For example, predictions show almond due io lose a few points to white in the sale of kitchen appliances and accessories in the future with brown and yellow still holding weak positions. On the other hand, almond is forecast to edge out brown in sales of serving and buffet products and accessories while white gains second place. Earth tones, yellow and beige seem doomed to continue in fourth, fifth and sixth places.

For outdoor products and accessories, white is expected to make a better showing, taking away sales from black and red, but green, yellow and brown will still hold the top three spots. White also is expected to edge

Story at a Glance Figures

can help a housewares manager sort out conlusing advice . . . electric goods No. 1... almond isa top color.

out brown in bath and cioset accessories sales. Blue will gain slightly but remain in third place followed by yellow and almond.

C0L()R PREFERENCES show almond and white in second and third place in sales ol serving, buffet products and access0ries including dinnerware. Brown is No. l choice.

After studying these figures, a housewares manager probably stands a better chance of predicting the market. Toasters, coffee pots, mixers, irons, crockpots, etcetera no doubt will continue to be considered essential, purchased when replacement is necessary or bought as gilts lor those starting a new household with an empty kitchen. The utensils used for the cooking and baking necessary for preparing meals probably will continue to be steady sellers.