Small Cooking Appliances in Egypt

2020 IMPACT

Economic shock of COVID-19 leads consumers to restrict their discretionary spending

Retail volume sales of small cooking appliances declined for the first time in six years during 2020. Prior to the onset of COVID-19, accelerating consumer lifestyles, particularly increased female labour force participation, had helped to drive modest growth in retail volume sales of small cooking appliances, in spite of a difficult economic environment.

Pandemic hits coffee machines particularly hard, as they are perceived as a luxury item by most local consumers

Retail volume sales of coffee machines plunged by a quarter during 2020, in spite of the disruption of the foodservice channel and the fact that many people were working at home during the year. This reflects the severe blow that the pandemic dealt to consumer confidence in Egypt, which in particular undermined demand for consumer appliances that are perceived to be luxuries.

Leader De’Longhi SPA hit by weak demand for coffee machines and increased price competition

While Italian manufacturer De’Longhi retains its leadership in small cooking appliances, it continued to lose retail volume share during 2020. Its Kenwood and De’Longhi brands are particularly strong in coffee machines, demand for which was very weak during the year.

RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES

Weak recovery in prospect, as consumer spending is likely to remain constrained

Retail volume sales of small cooking appliances are set to stabilise during 2021, as the economic shock of COVID-19 begins to fade. However, with the economic circumstances of many local consumers likely to remain strained, the recovery will be anaemic, with retail volume sales of small cooking appliances unlikely to exceed their 2019 peak until late in the forecast period.

Heightened consumer interest in health and wellness will drive demand growth for electric grills, steamers, light fryers and rice cookers

Steadily increasing consumer interest in health and wellness will buoy demand for electric grills, steamers, rice cookers and light fryers, albeit from a very low base in some cases. This trend will be reinforced by the pandemic, which has raised awareness among local consumers of the health risks associated with obesity – the rate of which is steadily increasing in Egypt.

E-commerce will move towards the mainstream

While electronics and appliance specialist retailers continue to dominate retail volume sales of small cooking appliances, e-commerce has gained significant retail volume share as a result of the pandemic, albeit from a fairly low base. With local consumers spending more time at home and bricks-and-mortar outlets closed for an extended period, they began to shop online in growing numbers, which prompted retailers to pay more attention to this channel and increase their investment in it.