International Market News

Eco-friendly trend grows.

Hong Kong houseware producers came up with cookers, cookware and eco-friendly products as they took part in the largest houseware show in the US. Despite the economic downturn, there were more than 60,000 attendees, including 200 new exhibitors at the 2009 International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago in late March.

Forecasting trends in the sector, Tom Mirabile, Vice President of Global Trends and Design for US-based Lifetime Brands, moderated a panel of retail experts discussing economic, social and environmental crosscurrents driving consumer behaviour for the next two years.

Among these, retailers say the "cocooning comeback" that's in full sway in the US will continue. Consumers are spending less on luxury items, staying at home more and seeking to find greater comfort when in their homes.

Aluminium cookware from Hong Kong's AXA International.

This news is not all bad, said Philip Brandl, President of the International Housewares Association (IHA). He pointed out that the housewares industry historically has been able to sustain itself during economic downturns, because "cocooning" drives consumer desire to buy products needed to clean and maintain the home, as well as prepare, cook, store and serve foods for the family and for guests.

This corresponds to the findings of the IHA Consumer Advisory Council, created to identify emerging home-related trends. Surveys done by the Council showed that half of those surveyed are preparing dinner at home more often than they did two years ago and are eating out less often.

Hitting the spot on new attitudes.

Trend watchers say consumers are returning to a more frugal, back-to-basics approach to purchasing, planning more home-based entertaining and activities. "The bottom line," said AJ Riedel, Senior Partner of Riedel Marketing Group: "is that this new frugality is not just a reaction to the economic downturn and financial uncertainty. It represents a paradigm shift in attitudes toward consumptions, materialism and what is really important in life."

Rice cookers back at the top table

Peter Goldman, President with research specialist NPD Group, believed product categories that might benefit include kitchen electrical products such as rice cookers. While most homeware product categories were in the red in 2008, rice cookers were a bright spot, with value sales up 14%, and unit volumes up 4% for the six months ending June, 2008.

Among the examples, Zojurushi of Japan introduced its new induction heating pressure rice cooker and warmer, which is on sale through Amazon.com and other retail outlets. The 10 cup model retails for US$550 and the five cup one for US$515.

Elecpro's rice cooker.

This trend bodes well for Chinese mainland and Hong Kong manufacturers. Lawrence Hung, Marketing Manager, in the Hong Kong office of Guangdong-based small appliance maker Elecpro, said interest at this year's show was on Elecpro's rice cookers. It is manufacturing several popular models for the Aroma brand.

Hong Kong-based Markpeak Limited has just entered the business of manufacturing rice cookers, slow cookers and induction cookers for the Westinghouse brand and also reported keen interest in its products.

In the same vein, Lifetime Brands's Mirabile said pressure cookers, slow cookers, airtight storage products and canning products are all gaining in popularity because they help people live within their means.

Multifunctional cookers are also popular.

The US subsidiary of Spain-based Fagor featured its 3-in-1 Multicooker that can be used as a pressure cooker, slow cooker and rice cooker and features flexible programming, a browning function, keep warm setting and a delay timer. The suggested retail price was US$119.9. Amazon.com and Chefs Catalogue are selling it.

Multi-function cookers catch the eye.

Actifry, a new countertop kitchen cooker from T-fal of France is a combination fryer/slow cooker that is designed to reduce nutritional content loss during cooking and uses less oil. The suggested retail price for the cooker which launches in July is US$299.

Healthworks, from New York-based Lifetime Brands is a new low-pressure speed cooker that allows the user to open the lid while cooking, giving the advantage of adding ingredients safely. The suggested retail price for the cooker due out in October is US$39.9 for the six-quart and US$49 for the eight-quart.

Also in keeping with the experts' analysis, competitively-priced new products designed to help consumers better clean and maintain their homes and entertain guests at home were much in evidence at the show.

Colourful containers.

Many more microfibre products were on display as were brightly-variegated coloured mops and cleaning tools. Among the new cleaning entries, US-based Quickie Manufacturing introduced its first stick goods line under the Lysol brand name. The company launch is in tandem with growing interest in cleaning tools treated with antimicrobial agents. Products in the line range from US$9.9 to US$12.9 for mops and other long-handled tools, US$2.9 to US$7.9 for handheld scrubbers and brushes.

Green still growing in popularity

The "green" phenomenon continues to shape products in the houseware arena. Riedel cited a NPD Group report, Green 2008: Consumer Attitudes and Behaviors which showed that more than half the surveyed respondents are "extremely" or "very interested" in environment friendly products. But at the same time these consumers don't want to spend extra for products marketed as "green", it seems.

The explosion of interest in affordable green products was apparent throughout the show. A few of the standouts from this year's green exhibition included a wide array of bamboo, recycled polyester and stone paper (85% calcium carbonate and 15% innocuous colophony) products from Shanghai-based Test Rite. The company's attractive lime green/white/grey recycled PET storage modules generated interest, as did the bamboo bath accessories and bamboo powder dinnerware.

US-based Casabella Holdings Llc showed its new Eclipse line of environment friendly cleaning products including a microfibre mop, a floor duster, a hand duster and bucket with some components made from 100% recycled soda bottles.

These products started selling at Whole Foods and the Container Store. Bed Bath and Beyond will also carry the products in select stores. Suggested retail prices range from US$29.9 for the microfibre mop to US$12.9 for the bucket.

Eco-friendly way with AXA.

Also at the show, Hong Kong's AXA International Limited , known for its innovative coatings, unveiled Pure, a line of aluminum cookware surface treated with an eco-friendly electrolysing process that transforms aluminum to ceramic oxide.

How do you use your kitchen?

Other trends that will shape the marketplace for the next two years centre on how consumers use their kitchens. Marketing experts Susan Yashinsky, Vice President of Marketing for consulting firm Sphere Trending, Sharilyn Ruckman, President of creative strategist Ruckman + Company, and Curt Bailey, President of industrial design firm Sundberg Ferar pointed out that different age groups use their kitchens differently, so it is important to target each group differently.

Generation Y consumers aged 14 to 33 are interested in stylish, bright, affordable products. They are wired to the Internet all day and rent, rather than own their dwellings.

New products targeted to this group include the Hip Housewares line from the Alice Supply Co. The firm makes dustpans, brooms and buckets in bright primary colours, rainbow stripes and camouflage greens and markets itself in brochures that look like high fashion catalogues.

Those aged 34 to 43 Generation X are raising families, so making the kitchen the family hub. The current boom in cooking-with-kids products is largely focused on this group. Examples are kitchen tools made to look like smiling vegetables or friendly animals.

Canada-based MSC International unveiled a new Kitch Gadgets line featuring a smiling 3 inch pizza slicer wheel, a google-eyed lemon zester and a wide-grinning ceramic peeler.

Kuhn Rikon Switzerland's Kinderkitchen tools included duck snippers, dog knives and mouse measuring spoons, among other cute and safe tools.

Interest in cup-cake moulds.

Hong Kong's Parmanand had two-cup offering.

Hong Kong-based Silicone Dragon Ind Ltd reported interest in its colourful, kid-friendly flexible molds. Chocolate molds and clown-decorated cupcake molds in bright colours were popular new products.

Baby Boomers, aged 44 to 63, entertain more and have the highest discretionary income to spend on housewares. This group may respond well to the nature-inspired silicon cooking tools and containers from Charles Viancin of Paris.

Chotirmall: distribution to be determined.

Meanwhile Prime Timers, adults 64 and older, are interested in ergonomic, intuitive designs. Examples include a new jar-opening tool, from US-based Progressive International which uses a suction cup to lock on to jar lids.

One of the biggest on-the-go innovations at the show came from Hong Kong-based Kajeco and KAJ Chotirmall & Co (HK) Ltd. Their Mix and Go mini, portable mixer allows users to mix drinks in a spill-proof cup. Once mixed, the stainless steel whisk and mixer are removed and the spill-proof lid is attached for on-the-go portability. Distribution is yet to be determined, said company Director Suren Chotirmall, but suggested the retail price would be between US$11.9 and US$14.9.

from special correspondent Monica Rogers, Chicago