Mike Bufton, md Rangemaster, takes an in depth look at the range cooker market...

The range cooker market has enjoyed many years of growth. A strong economic climate in recent years, the growing popularity of the kitchen as a 'living space' and the thriving property market have resulted in robust results for many range cooker brands. However, the changing economic situation has had a significant impact on sales of range cookers for nearly all brands.

The lower end of the range cooker market has been hit harder than the premium end as consumers investing in a range cooker are looking for a trusted brand and product quality. While the range cooker market is down by around 20%, it is the premium end of the market that is preventing this from falling further.

Retailers are experiencing fewer transactions, but they are managing to increase the transactional value by selling more complementary products, such as matching refrigeration, wine storage and dishwashers. Ensuring that we are challenging this market is an area that Rangemaster has focused on.

In general, the range cooker market is holding up better than the built-in market. The size of the range cooker market is smaller than the built-in oven sector, which has seen a market fall of 20.7%. The range cooker market, however, has fallen by 18.6%, showing that it is slightly more resilient - an indication perhaps of the growing popularity of the range cooker.

The biggest and most obvious driver of the range cooker sector is the housing market. With this being hit so badly, this is where we have suffered the most.
A considerable proportion of range cooker sales are from the replacement and renovation market and this year we have focused our sales efforts on maintaining a strong share of the market in this sector. It is difficult to predict when the market will recover and what growth will be over the next 12 months.

Our primary focus is to increase our market share. This strategy is paramount in this market, so that when it does recover, we are in the strongest position possible.

To achieve this financial goal and maintain our position as a market leader, we have this year purchased the Mercury brand. This new acquisition complements our existing line-up of brands and will hopefully put us in good standing for when the market recovers.

What do you think? Email the editor direct: andrew@kbbreview.com