A new report on the UK kitchen market suggests kitchen sales will rise by £50 million this year, with customers moving towards more personalised designs.
MTW Research studied kitchen suppliers’ data and found that higher value rigid kitchen cabinets, cooking appliances, premium taps and dishwashers are performing highly. However, the mid-market continues to experience a squeeze on both prices and profits, with online retailers continuing to gain share through aggressive pricing strategies.
The report also notes that designs are more complex and nuanced than ever as consumers seek enhanced personalisation of their kitchens rather than traditional ‘off the shelf’ solutions. The wide-ranging innovation in kitchen design continues to support the higher value kitchen market in 2019, whilst at the same time, the ‘unobtrusive kitchen’ continues to gain popularity due to more smaller, urban ‘open plan living’ homes.
MTW point to ‘urban’, ‘industrial’, ‘chic rustic’, ‘vintage’ and other kitchen designs driving the market in 2019. Knowledgeable consumers are seeking retailers and manufacturers who can help to create a distinctly personalised kitchen.
Smart extractors, voice-activated hobs and built-in cabinet smart speakers are just a few examples given that illustrate how kitchen retailers are integrating technology with kitchen cabinets, worktops, taps and appliances to differentiate kitchen designs.
MTW Director Mark Waddy said: “Sophisticated consumers know that the old binary choice of ‘traditional’ or ‘modern’ kitchen design is defunct. The kitchen market is more complex than ever in terms of design, specification and purchasing criteria and several kitchen suppliers have fallen foul of rapid trend changes recently.”
“Kitchen retailers have mostly won the battle against the Sheds who are repositioning to more traditional DIY market positions.
“Growth in the lower value sector is likely to be elusive in 2019, forcing online and DIY channels to engage in a ‘battle royale’ on pricing, with profound implications for kitchen suppliers with poorly defined market positions.”
