Home Laundry Appliances in Romania

2021 DEVELOPMENTS

Home laundry appliances continue to grow as consumers focus more on hygiene

The strong performance recorded in home laundry appliances in 2021 can be attributed at least partially to the stronger focus on personal hygiene that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. With many people concerned about the potential for their clothing and bedlinen to harbour the COVID-19 virus, during 2020 and 2021 it became more common for Romanians to wash their laundry more often than previously.

Demand for large capacity washing machines continues to grow

In addition to boosting demand for automatic washing machines generally, the greater focus on personal hygiene has been seen among the population of Romania since the onset of the COVID-19 polemic has also encouraged consumers to favour larger capacity automatic washing machines. As consumers have become more preoccupied with washing their clothing, bedlinen and other home textiles more often, they have looked to washing machines with larger capacity as a way of reducing the number of wash cycles they are required to complete on a weekly basis.

Increasing focus on innovation and advanced features supports value growth

Value growth remained particularly robust in home laundry appliances in 2021 and this can be attributed largely to the stronger focus on innovation that has been seen in the category in recent years. Indeed, innovation has emerged very strongly as a key differentiating factor within home laundry appliances in recent years, a trend that has become more intense since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

High-quality appliances with useful added features set to remain in high demand

Recent years have seen Romanian consumers become considerably more sophisticated in their choices of major appliances and a furthering of this trend is likely to be seen during the forecast period. In terms of home laundry appliances, the increasing sophistication of the wider consumer base is likely to motivate key category players to focus more on offering premium automatic washing machines and automatic dryers with in-demand features such as reduced energy and water consumption, features which tap into the sustainability trend, as well as enhanced connectivity via smartphone apps.

Built-in laundry appliances set to gain further ground

Another trend that has flowed from the rising sophistication of Romanian consumers in recent years and the concomitant greater interest in more expensive types of major appliances is the increasing preference for built-in home laundry appliances. Indeed, the forecast period is expected to see built-in home laundry appliances register a better performance than freestanding home laundry appliances as more refined tastes mean a greater desire for aesthetic harmony in the home.

Good sales growth prospects for automatic dryers and automatic washer dryers

One of the most notable trends expected to emerge in home laundry appliances during the forecast period is the increasing consumer interest in automatic dryers and automatic washer dryers. These categories are expected to outperform home laundry appliances overall over the course of the forecast period and this can be attributed to the increasing interest in convenience is being seen among the population of Romania.