BIRMINGHAM-BASED electrical independent, T C Hayes, gives its customers one of the best shopping experiences in the UK, according to a poll by Domestic & General. Tom Hayes, managing director of T C Hayes, received the prestigious D & G Retailer of The Year award at a special presentation lunch at The Connaught Hotel in London.

INDESIT'S latest offering to the laundry world takes a fresh approach to design with intelligent technology at its core. With clean, simple lines and a unique interface, the new Indesit Moon washing machine is likely to make a stamp on the laundry market.

Miele has launched a new Service Certificate. It will offer customers warranty cover for either five or ten years, including the manufacturer’s guarantee, and will be funded and administered by Miele.

America's iconic KitchenAid brand has enjoyed a cult following among serious cooks since it first introduced the stand mixer in 1919. Now this US brand (owned by Whirlpool) introduced its collection of premium built-in major domestic appliances in Britain. Stylish and simple to use, the range now includes ovens, microwaves, hobs, cooker hoods, refrigerators, and dishwashers.

Dear Editor, I feel I must write to you concerning an advertisement in last weekend's national press referring to a Servis washing machine sold by Tesco at a retail price of less than £100. Having been in the electrical appliance trade for over 30 years, I can't ever remember being able to buy a washing machine at less than £100 incl VAT trade price.

Clear product labelling on major domestic appliances and the falling price of energy saving light bulbs has led to consumers spending in excess of £1.1 billion on greener products in the year since March 2006 according to figures from GfK.

Yoshiiku (Mike) Miyata has been appointed as the new chairman and CE of Panasonic Europe Ltd.

Robin Tillbrook joins Husky Home Appliances as director of retail sales. Robin was previously Business Development Director at Glen Dimplex.

THE GfK market information which I've recently analysed for the Business Book 2007 (the copy of which will shortly land on your counter) clearly shows that both consumer electronics and domestic appliances are again showing a healthy growth.

IN December 2006, the EEIBA called senior figures in the industry to become voluntary EEIBA Ambassadors and help promoting the work of the Charity. Jamie Lennox, Managing Director of Home-tek International, became the first EEIBA Ambassador.

Briefing the trade press on the Philips DAP plans for 2007, Elwin de Valk, new vice president and managing director of Philips DAP, confirmed that innovations in health care and lifestyle will be the focus of the company's efforts in the coming months.

Morphy Richards, whose iron business has grown from 14 to 22% during 2006, is promoting its Jet Steam elite range of irons in partnership with Everyman, bringing awareness to the Testicular Cancer Charity.

FROM floorcare to irons, Bosch has introduced new technological solutions and design ideas to its 2007 range of small appliances.

The floorcare line features three bagged and three bagless models which cater for a variety of customer needs.

Samsung has unveiled what it claims to be the UK's quietest vacuum cleaner. The bagless SC9540 operates at just 72dBA, and also boasts accreditation from the Good Housekeeping Institute and the British Allergy Association.

All of the plasma screens in Panasonic's Viera TV line-up for 2007 incorporate the manufacturer's Viera Link feature – designed for easy operation.

Viera Link allows users to operate a host of AV components connected to the TV using just one remote control and an onscreen menu.

Home-tek has expanded its range of appliances endorsed by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott with the introduction of a juicer.

According to Home-tek, the Ainsley Harriott Professional Juicer (model AH111) “gives 50% more juice than conventional juicers”, thanks to its patented grinding system.

Neff has unveiled its first foray into the combination steam oven sector.

The CircoSteam built-in oven (B8762) offers multi-level cooking with steam, hot air or a combination of the two along with a selection of 52 automatic cooking programmes.

Electrolux's latest cleaner – the Intensity – has 50% more suction power than the leading upright vacuum cleaner, claims the manufacturer.

According to Electrolux, on other upright models, air has to travel around 30in along a hose to get from floor to dust container, whereas on the Intensity, the distance is only around 3in from nozzle to dust bag – resulting in its high suction power.

Toshiba's third UK HD DVD player – the HD-EP10 – offers a similar technical spec to the maker's first model, the HD-E1, but with the added bonus of a full HD 1080p output.

The Azur Ionic range of irons from Philips boasts ionic technology, which offers finer steam for deeper cleaning.

According to the maker, the new range is aimed at those that require a high-standard performance from their iron, but are frustrated at not being able to achieve this.

Sanyo has introduced its latest range of HD-ready LCD TVs, with the two top-end models featuring a full 1080p resolution.

The largest screen in the collection is the CE47FD51-B, a 47in model, includes an integrated digital tuner and has a contrast ratio of 1000:1, along with a brightness level of 500cd/m2.

At the recent Independent Dealers Conference, held at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, Samsung unveiled its plans for closer involvement in the independent sector. Anna Ryland reports.

During the past year, retra has recorded significant achievements representing and promoting its members' interests. Mark Hayward, retra's Chief Executive, reviews the most important ones.

The Government's new Energy Efficiency Plan puts heavy demands on electrical manufacturers and retailers. Douglas Herbison, Amdea's Chief Executive, explains what is expected of the industry.

For many years high definition television (HDTV) was held back by two factors: the sheer volume of information involved in its transmission, and the cost of manufacturing large screens capable of rendering highly-detailed images. The advent of digital encoding and data compression, and of plasma and LCD screens solved the problems, and steady progress is being made with both since HDTV started last May.

The refrigeration market is doing anything but cooling down. Hayley Gilbert looks at current trends and the latest technological developments.

Baumatic has recently launched a range of colourful freestanding fridge freezers to complement its popular Dance Collection. The red TG6, yellow SB6 and orange MG6 are A+ rated for energy efficiency with a 270 litre gross capacity. Added features include fast freeze, adjustable thermostat, bottle rack and salad crisper.

Electrolux has teamed up with Brita to develop a range of Arated frost-free fridge freezers with an integrated four litre filter cartridge for perfectly chilled water. As nine out of 10 water filter systems sold in the UK are Brita, it's the ideal spacesaving solution as well as saving the customer money - the water costs just 4p per litre.

Fisher & Paykel has introduced a new addition to its Active Smart line-up with its ice and water dispensing refrigerators. As an alternative to the bulky side-by-side appliances, the three models that include the E522BRXU shown here, have an external water dispenser and internal icemaker in a single model refrigerator.

Whirlpool has got together with Microban to develop a highly innovative air filtration system where 100% of the fridge air is forced through a high-tech filter to remove airborne contaminants. This eliminates the bacteria that can cause odours and contaminate food. It's soon to be available on the ARC7558 Aqua fridge freezer.

Although the digital camera market has entered its mature stage, the exciting technological developments, keep bringing new and repeat customers to the stores, concludes Keri Allan.

The last few months has seen a flurry of activity in the UK regarding the implementation of the WEEE Regulations and the pace isn't slowing down, according to Dr Philip Morton, chief executive of Repic.

Comet's parent Kesa has reported a decent set of results for the year to 31 January, with profit before tax up by 15% and market share gains right across the group. It expects growth to continue, but at a slower rate this year.