Consumer confidence has reached its lowest level since 2003 as a result of rising costs and falling property values. The survey, by market research company Nielsen and the British Retail Consortium (BRC), asked over 1,000 consumers to comment on their job prospects, personal finances, spending intentions and major concerns.

Maytag's recently issued summer newsletter, Outlook, features the brand's summer promotion - a five-year parts and labour warranty on all Maytag refrigeration. The promotion starts on 1 July and runs until 30 September 2008.

Glen Dimplex Home Appliances, manufacturer of the Stoves, Belling, New World and Lec brands, has joined forces with the Women's Institute in a new long-term partnership agreement aimed at getting more people cooking.

Alphason Designs is moving to a new 100,000 sq ft state-of-the-art premises, near Bolton in Greater Manchester, close to the current site in Atherton. They will include:

Gorenje has announced the acquisition of premium Dutch household appliance company, ATAG Europe BV, making it the largest acquisition in Gorenje's history. ATAG Europe BV generated nearly E150 million in net sales revenues in 2007, representing approximately 14% of the operating revenues of the Gorenje Group. 

LG Electronics has announced the appointment of Andrew Warner as its new marketing director for UK and Ireland. Andrew joins LG from Sony Ericsson where he was global director of brand management.

When the July edition of IER arrives in your store, the results of this year's Independent Marketing Awards will be in the public domain. It is, however, in early June that counting of votes takes place and the winners in all categories emerge.

BSH Home Appliances Ltd has sponsored the Lanzet team - a kitchen company supplying and fitting quality kitchens and appliances - one of the 49 teams taking part in the UK construction industry's annual charity fundraising event.

Following extensive consumer research which revealed that capacity and steam capability are highly appreciated features, LG has developed a new range of Steam Direct Drive and Direct Drive washing machines with 9kg capacity in the standard size model. The latest LG washers have a number of unique features, which deliver significant customer benefits.

The centenary celebrations of the Hoover brand in London was an opportunity for the Hoover Candy group to look back at its heritage but also to reveal the latest generation of products which will come onto the market in 2008.

JVC's Everio S Series camcorder enables users to upload videos to YouTube at the touch of a button.

Premium Appliance Brands (PAB) has teamed up with one of the UK's most well-known drinks experts to produce the Oz Clarke Connoisseur collection.

Now that Blu-ray has triumphed in the hi-def format war, the most economical choice of HD player for many is the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) console which incorporates a Blu-ray drive.

The latest dishwasher from Whirpool is the very first in Europe to use steam technology, claims the manufacturer.

Samsung's new Air Refresh washing machine can be used for freshening up dry clean-only laundry.

Sanyo has added to its popular Xacti range of camcorders with a new waterproof model.

The latest products from satnav expert TomTom include a brand new mounting system - known as the EasyPort which can be left on the device and folded flat after use.

Pioneer has expanded its popular KURO range to include its next generation plasma panel, along with its first ever LCD screens.

Why in an era of rapid commoditisation of consumer electronics and electrical products, would anyone choose to rent their equipment instead of buying it?  Yet, in fact, the rental market is doing well and its popularity is increasing due to the growing sophistication of  technology which evolves so fast that products become out of date almost as soon as they appear on the market. Moreover, their servicing is increasingly complex and expensive.

In late 2007, I reported in IER about initial discussions about the revision of the energy labelling system. Things have now moved on, with the European Commission involved in serious discussions with interested parties - including retailers and manufacturers of domestic appliances.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulation came into effect in January 2007 and aims to decrease the amount of electrical waste going to landfill by increasing the amount that is recycled.

Like many domestic appliances sectors, floorcare has become a highly focused market. Consumers are looking for products which meet their needs and if they can't find one model to do that, they're prepared to spend on several. Nearly a third of all UK homes now have two or more vacuum cleaners; usually uprights are the main cleaner, for use on carpets, while a cylinder is for stairs and upstairs or for the increasingly popular hardwood and laminate floors.

Ewbank has recently developed a series of rechargeable power sweepers and also, tapping into the growing anti-allergy product sector, the triple-action Raycop (pictured). This features a UV-C sterilising lamp, which kills the bacteria and helps eradicate the dust mites; a vibrating pad feature that agitates the bed, releasing the dust mites hooked in the mattress, duvet and pillow; and finally the vacuum.

Colourful, affordable and versatile is how Electrolux is describing its new Vitesse Plus range. Covering three cyclonic models, the range comprises Pet Lover (with integrated turbo nozzle to loosen stubbornly stuck pet hairs); Reach, combining all the features of the Pet Lover with an additional 3 in 1 stretch hose; and All Surface, all the features on the previous two models plus a powerful 1850W motor and hard floor nozzle.

Morphy Richards has embraced the eco approach to cleaning with three upright models in its PerformAir range.  Each features a 1000w motor, and a consumer educational campaign includes PoS to inform how the range "saves energy and money with an equal performance to competitors' 2000W equivalents". The three eco-friendly cleaners are 73380, 73381 and 73383. 

Technology and innovation are key for Home-tek products. The HT811 'Sonic Sweeper' (pictured) features a patented plate which vibrates 10,000 times per minute to shake loose debris in carpet fibres, while the HT801 Shoulder Vac is a lightweight bagless cyclonic cleaner (weighing only 3kg), powerful yet light enough to carry around easily.

What is the impact of the burgeoning CE industry on climate change and the environment? What are the key selection criteria for consumers buying a new TV set? How to influence consumers to adopt responsible attitudes towards energy consumption? What roles do retailers play in this process? These were the main questions which the speakers at this year's GfK conference were attempting to answer.

If you had an average of 100 customers per day and you were able to increase their value by just £10, that's an additional £1,000 going through your till.  An effective way to increase sales value of your customers is to 'up-sell'.

For a long time, the VCR was the box that sat under the living room television set. Then came the DVD recorder, but both products are being eclipsed by two other product groups - the digital set-top box and the Personal Video Recorder (PVR). These not only offer more choice (around 40 channels via Freeview compared with a handful for analogue services) but also new ways of programming, viewing and storing TV broadcasts.

Since AV furniture is now supporting the most treasured possessions of homeowners, it is perhaps not surprising that its importance has grown exponentially during the last few years. Now savvy retailers sell AV furniture alongside television sets as routine.

Two major announcements to cover this month are - Best Buy, the huge American electronics retailer, is heading for the UK through a deal with Carphone Warehouse and DSGi has issued the results of its business review which is intended to 'renew and transform' the group.