Richard Fozard, marketing director of the AGA Rangemaster Group looks at the range cooker market...

The value of the UK range cooker market has shown growth over the last few years, despite volumes being steady.

Contemporary designs, that fit in with modern lifestyles, are becoming more popular with black and stainless steel benefitting from this trend. We've also seen an introduction of colour to models and these are becoming more popular across the board.

Moving forward, we anticipate continuing popularity of contemporary designs, with black and stainless steel colours leading the field. That said, it is likely that traditional range cooker designs, which are more versatile, will maintain their position as the must-have choice for kitchens with a period or country character.

There is such an extensive and diverse number of range cooker styles available that customers are rarely restricted. Whether they want to achieve a traditional country look or opt for a slick, contemporary kitchen design you can fulfill their design dream with a range cooker. Even customers with smaller kitchens are not limited - with range cooker models now ranging from as compact as just 90cm wide, you can find a way to incorporate a range cooker design in the smallest of kitchens.

The added benefit of considering range cooking over built-in is the wide range of colour options available, which allow designers and consumers to make more of an individual style statement in the kitchen.

Induction is the latest technology to hit the range cooker market, and there has been a significant increase in customer demand. Sales of induction range cookers actually increased by 47% from 2009-2010.

Heralded as the future of the kitchen, induction cooking is safe, efficient, responsive and controllable. It is also considerably more eco friendly. By cooking on induction three times per day, consumers can save enough energy to run two low-energy light bulbs for around five hours.

Induction is also brilliant for family kitchens as there are no naked flames. As the heat is conducted directly within the pan, the surface remains considerably cooler than a conventional hob - any residual heat is indicated by a red light and there is also a child lock feature.