
John Heathcote explains that the growth in condensers is “based purely on not having to vent them outside”, which is an attractive proposition for increasingly space constricted New Zealand homes. So if it’s not dollars alone, what else is behind people shelling out the big bucks up front for a dryer? In fact, only heavy users that use their dryer more than 250 times a year (more than twice every 3 days) seem to be winners on price alone when buying a heat pump model. John Heathcote feels that vented and non-vented dryers are really “chalk and cheese” appealing to altogether different customer bases with energy saving benefits only offsetting the initial price tag for the heaviest users.Ī recent report by Consumer magazine reinforces the idea that condenser and heat pump dryers are not being bought just to save money, with vented dryers still the most cost effective option to buy and run over 10 years. Is it important that energy stars equate to money saved in the long run – or are they just a marketing tool, an added bonus that helps sell a top level product? We have also seen some growth in heat pump dryers which is the step above that can often reach a 6 star energy rating where a standard dryer will be best to get 2 stars.” “That means people have the money and are prepared to spend it as condensers are still a big jump up in price from conventional tumble dryers.”įor a retail perspective, John Heathcote from 100% Heathcote Appliances has seen growth in both of these products: “There’s definitely been growth in condensers even though they are they are still around the $1,000 mark. “We are completely sold out of condenser dryers at the moment,” says Haier’s Troy Scragg. Growth in heat pump dryers has been followed by even more positive sales increases in condenser dryers. And despite a general decline in the total dryer category, Miele has also seen growth within the heat pump segment,” she says. However Miele ’s Louise Paynter reports growth and some decline, in more specific areas: “For some time now, the market has seen a focus on larger capacity washing machines and dryers that demonstrate an increase in convenience, flexibility and efficiency in the use of time and resources.

Most industry players in this sector have had a similar experience in the last 6 months, with Fisher & Paykel ’s Mark Baillie reporting double digit growth, year on year, across the whole auto washer market.


“The low end always does well, but we are starting to see an increase in sales in our mid-level so it’s just climbing a little in the front loaders and the larger size washing machine top loaders,” Scragg says.” And I feel there’s just a little more money around and people are looking at the prices and thinking they can jump to next level products with extra features for their money.” You wouldn’t think that summer would be a great time to see growth in the laundry sector but that is exactly what Haier ’s Jacqui Christopher has seen in the last few months: “It has been surprisingly unseasonal in that sales have actually increased in the summer months and that goes for dryers as well.”Ĭhristopher attributes part of this success (particularly in dryers) to a fairly unpredictable summer with patches of rain and cold, while Haier Manager Troy Scragg also points to increases in consumer confidence and disposable income meeting up with price drops on products with added functionality.
#Convenience ware ghostreader pdf#
To view a PDF of the complete feature as it appeared in Wares magazine, click the download button at the bottom of this page. So what are the factors behind this and what can we expect to see in the months to come? Jess Brunette reports. Shifts in the laundry market to bigger, smarter and more stylish products are changing the landscape of the whole category.
