"The biggest challenge we as the industry are facing at present is the necessity to make a transition from a deflationary industry into an inflationary one", said Enderson Guimaraes, the newly appointed ‘Head of Major Appliances', Electrolux Europe in an exclusive interview given to IER. 

BISSELL's AromaPro upright deep cleaner has been awarded a Which? Magazine Best Buy title in the publication's recent carpet cleaner test. BISSELL's appliance was commended for its "helpful features that make carpet cleaning a breeze", such as built-in heater and handheld power brush.

Panasonic has changed its corporate name from Electric Industrial Co. Ltd to Panasonic Corporation, as of 1 October, in order to unify the Panasonic brand worldwide.

Alphason Designs has opened its new 100,000sq ft state-of-the-art premises outside Bolton.  The new facilities include: 85,000 sq ft of warehouse space - double the current size and providing next day delivery, 14,500 sq ft of manufacturing capacity  and 14,000 sq ft split level office and training and showroom suite - offering demonstration, showroom, training and meeting facilities.

Two thirds of shoppers will spend less this Christmas compared to last year, according to a Quick Poll by GfK Research Panels of 618 households. The majority of those surveyed (36%) said they will spend less this year, with over a quarter (26%) saying they will spend a little less at Christmas. Just under a third surveyed (29%) will be spending the same amount during the festive period.

Enderson Guimaraes  has been appointed as new head of Major Appliances Europe and executive vice president of AB Electrolux. Before joining Electrolux, Guimaraes held management positions with leading global corporations such as Philips, Hewlett Packard and Procter & Gamble.

THE recent news that John Binks has lost the battle with cancer genuinely saddened many people in the industry who had an opportunity to meet this exceptional man.

IN John Binks, the former commercial director of GfK, who died last month, the industry has lost an exceptional professional and an inspiring human being. In a career spanning 30 years, John's knowledge and passion touched countless people across the industry. With a background in management accounting, John joined what was then AGB in 1984 where he was instrumental in launching the Retail Audit Panel in the UK, which became GfK in 1989. John has inspired clients and colleagues, both locally and internationally, through his public speaking and coaching, with his cutting edge knowledge and enthusiasm for the industry - always delivered with a wonderfully dry humour.

Zoombak, whose parent company, the US-based True Position, is specialising in emergency location technology, has brought to the UK market a new format of the GPS - the Personal GPS Locator. It helps to track what's most important to people - children, pets, elderly relatives, cars, bikes and various types of luggage. Using the satellite-enabled GPS, Zoombak is assisted by land based databases to provide a fast ‘real time and on-demand' tracking system.

Gorenje, Slovenian domestic appliance manufacturer renowned for its innovative approach to design and technology, has joined forces with Apple to create the fridge freezer which is also an entertainment centre. The innovative ‘Made for iPod' fridge freezer brings together the latest in refrigeration technology and the popular personal audio product. 

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.

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.

Russell Hobbs' Vistra kettle uses striking colour coded lights to tell users what stage of boiling it's at.

Blue indicates that the kettle is plugged in, purple that it's boiling and red means that the kettle is in ‘keep warm' mode.

Intempo's popular iDS-01 Unplugged iPod speaker dock now runs on batteries so that it can be used anywhere.

The compact device is powered by four AA batteries which offers around 20 hours of playback, says Intempo. Alternatively, the dock can be powered from the mains.

Baumatic is claiming a technological first with its new oven which sports a black stainless steel finish.

The B501BS's finish is not spray painted or varnished, but is manufactured using stainless steel that is black all the way through, combining the hygiene benefits of the material with the trend for black appliances.

Miele's new S7 range of upright vacuum cleaners has been specifically designed for the UK market and boasts a swivel neck joint for maximum manoeuvrability.

Following the success of the original eco-friendly wind-up line-up in 2007, the new Trevor Baylis Revolution Media Player has been announced.

The 8GB MP3 player can play back around 45 minutes of music after just one minute of winding, while a full charge, via USB, offers around 50 hours of play back, says the maker.

The latest side-by-side fridge freezer from AEG-Electrolux incorporates Wave touch technology which brings the appliance out of sleep mode with just a wave at the screen.

The S85628SK1 includes a Chill Zone Drawer, along with large slide-out humidity-controlled vegetable drawers and a bright internal light on all five levels.

Sanyo has introduced its next generation HD camcorder which is also capable of taking 4-megapixel digital still images.

Equipped with the latest high-definition CMOS sensor, the HD1010 is able to capture 1080i hi-def video at 60fps.

Denon has unveiled what it describes as "the world's first true high-end Blu-ray source".

The DVD-2500BT supports full 1080p 24fps playback and is actually a Blu-ray transport meaning that it concentrates on reading the Blu-ray disc, rather than decoding it. The Blu-ray processing is left to a partnering AV receiver to do, to avoid doubling up on the technology.

At the recent IFA trade fair, Sony has announced a number of ‘firsts' for the company and for the industry, including the world's thinnest LCD TV, the BRAVIA ZX1, measuring 9.9mm deep, LCDs with 200HZ processing and the first OLED TV for the European market.

As a result of the present inflationary pressures, customers are becoming increasingly aware of how much it costs to run their household products.  Domestic appliances have been the focus of much of this attention, though consumer electronics are starting to come under scrutiny. The costs associated with running these household items are now forming a crucial part of customers' purchasing criteria, much like when they buy a new car.  Of course, the ticket price remains a factor, but there are more and more customers interested in the substantial savings that can be made by running more efficient appliances. 

Two pieces of EU legislation have been especially influential in this context: the RoHS Directive and REACH Regulation.

There's no doubt that sales figures for 2007 looked promising. Built-in electric ovens saw the biggest rise with an 8.7% increase in volume, with double ovens the preferred option - showing a 15.3% volume growth. In the hobs sector, it was electric hobs that bagged the biggest increase, with a rise of 5.3% in volume against a 2.8% rise in sales of gas. This may have been largely due to induction finally making an impact on the market.

Steaming is good for you - this is the message from luxury built-in appliance specialist Gaggenau, whose 2008 collection of sophisticated steam ovens now boasts a choice of seven alternative models. The 760mm built-in single oven (bottom) and matching combi-steam oven feature elegant centralised control panels, an A rating for energy efficiency and a stylish stainless steel or aluminium finish.

Combining solid style with robust stainless steel construction, this 900mm twin cavity cooking theatre from Baumatic's Pythagora range has a 52 litre multifunction fan oven plus a 31 litre second oven with grill. It also offers an LED programmer, five-burner gas hob with triple-crown wok burner, cast iron pan supports and storage compartment for baking trays.

Samsung has launched a built-in dual oven, which gives customers the benefits of double oven cooking in a single 65 litre oven cavity. It works by allowing you to split the oven in two with a heat protective shelf. This means you can bake dinner and dessert at the same time using suitable temperatures for each, without transferring flavour or smell. Additional features include internal lighting, child safety lock, steam cleaning, digital display and an A rating for energy.

Falcon has used its experience in range cooker manufacturing to produce the first ever single cavity range that gives customers the choice of using a single or double oven, depending on the amount of food they are cooking. The 900S will appeal to keen cooks who want to become more energy efficient, as it uses an intelligent energy-saving panel to reduce the main double oven capacity by half. The oven automatically registers when the panel is inserted as it triggers a micro-switch to heat the right hand side of the oven only.

The great number of people who walk the streets nursing paper cups with their favourite hot drink is a reflection of the extent to which the café culture has established itself in Britain. Although the love of coffee on the go is particularly widespread among urbanites, the wide availability of high quality coffee has affected the whole society. Many Brits who are no longer satisfied with a lukewarm cup of instant attempt to recreate the ‘proper' coffee experience at home.

These are unusual times. The threat of global recession has taken its toll on various markets within this industry and others. But retailers need to prepare for the return of the good times.

Irrespective of the global financial crisis, people will be attempting to enjoy Christmas as always. Some products will continue to be the season's best sellers, such as personal audio, cameras or DAB radios, but there are plenty of new developments in other product categories which will help you to take advantage of season's good will and profit opportunities. 

Kesa's Comet now expects to make a loss in its first-half year. Sales on a like-for-like basis were down by 9.9% in the three months to the end of July, a figure that surprised many analysts and increased their concerns about the retail sector.