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HALF OF ALL HOMEOWNERS PLANNING NEW BATHROOM Demand for new KBB projects continues to rise with half of all UK homeowners planning a full bathroom refurbishment, a new survey reveals. The survey, from the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA), also showed that was a rise from 45% back in January. And plans are also being brought forward with 16% of respondents saying they plan to do it in the next 12 months compared to just 13% saying the same in January. These numbers include DIY but slightly more (62%) are intending to do their planned work with professionals compared to January (59%). Sustainability was a key feature of the survey with two-thirds of homeowners confused about where to start when making their homes eco-friendly, causing a significant barrier to uptake but creating considerable opportunities for knowledgeable retailers. Just over three-quarters (77%) said that cost was a major issue as you would expect but
ARTICAD ADDS VIRTUAL MEETINGS FEATURE TO ITS ARTIVR SOFTWARE CAD software specialist ArtiCAD has added a new virtual meetings feature to its ArtiVR virtual reality solution. The new feature allows KBB designers to host a virtual meeting with their client within the ArtiVR package. Virtual Meetings will allow a designer to take their client on
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69% said that becoming more sustainable may cause too many disruptions. Retailers could also take advantage of the 42% of homeowners that are planning on improving sustainability in their homes, according to the BMA. Of those property owners, 40% have already done building work to make their homes more sustainable. However, the survey found that more than half (52%) believe that sustainability is not essential to them. And while 89% of homeowners may think their homes are as not as sustainable as they can be, 58% of them have no plans to improve the sustainability in the home. a virtual tour of their new room and demonstrate all the details and features of their design, in as much detail as they need to. Designers can also collaborate with their client to optimise aspects of the design in real time. Virtual Meetings uses a device’s camera and microphone and ArtiCAD said that there is no need for any additional hardware, as all rendering and optimisation is handled in the Cloud. The software, with the new Virtual Meetings feature, is available on a monthly subscription basis.
HAIER EUROPE REPORTS MASSIVE GROWTH AS ‘SMART’ SALES SOAR Appliance giant Haier has reported a 20% growth in sales in its 2020/2021 financial year results boosting its global market share to 16.2%. During the same period, it saw sales of its ‘smart’ MDA increase by 30% year-on-year and a 12% rise in sales for Haier Europe. According to the brand, during the same period a quarter of all fridges and washing machines sold were from the Haier, Hoover or Candy brands. The results which are said to put the company on track for its ‘ambitious’ business objectives – were shared at its annual conference. The virtual conference, which saw 500 attendees across two days, included presentations from the CEO of Haier Europe, Yannick Fierling, UK & ROI CEO, David Meyerowitz (pictured) and Piergiorgio Bonfiglioli, Marketing Director IoT & smart solutions. Meyerowitz reported on
consumer confidence increasing, which helped the group achieve #1 positions in several product categories: freestanding and built-in washing machines and washer dryers, freestanding and built-in tumble dryers, multidoor refrigeration and wine coolers. Fierling said: “Our three-element strategy of accelerating value, increasing sales quantities and optimising brand value have supported brand expansion into new lines and categories. This, combined with increased manufacturing capacity, upweighting systems and our triple-brand and price quartile strategies, enabled us to mark a challenging but exceptional year.” By the end of the 2020/21 financial year, the company had six production sites, with three new factories set to open this year in Romania, Turkey and China. It now employees 7,700 people, including 300 research and development engineers.
