Rise of the Stay-at-Home Consumer Helps Boost Irish Appliance Market

With Belfast now one of the most expensive cities to top up at the petrol pumps, restaurant prices refusing to fall and the cost of a pint of beer rising, many consumers are opting to spend evenings at home with friends instead of making the trip into town.

The popularity of cookery series such as Come Dine with Me has inspired a new generation of self-taught chefs to spend more time in their kitchen and on kitchen applicances (http://www.armaghelectrical.com/acatalog/Kitchen-Appliances.html), with Northern Ireland's leading independent electrical retailer, Dalzells of Markethill (http://www.armaghelectrical.com), reporting that sales of premium and energy efficient kitchen appliances (http://www.armaghelectrical.com/acatalog/Eco-Friendly-Products.html) have surged in the last four years.

"The old adage of "staying in being the new going out" is now a hard fact," said Dalzells' Head of Marketing, Chris Dalzell. "A new American Fridge Freezer, Range Cooker or Wine Cabinet are top of many of our customers shopping lists to impress friends when entertaining. Dalzell's free recycling service and rising utility bills are also helping to make the switch to new energy efficient electrical appliances more popular than ever."

"While sales throughout the rest of the UK continue to plummet, with Comet reporting a drop of 22%, Dixons 9% and Argos a recent 8.6% fall, we've seen our turnover rise by more than 35% since 2007," continued Dalzell.

Dalzell went on to note that the falling costs of Home Entertainment Systems, including large screen LED TVs (http://www.armaghelectrical.com/acatalog/30-to-42-Inch-Televisions.html) and Blu-ray players (http://www.armaghelectrical.com/acatalog/Blue-Ray-Players.html), has seen more and more film lovers move from the front row of the local multiplex to the comfort of their living room.

The upcoming Digital Switchover and innovations such as internet-ready and 3D TVs have also been identified as game-changers in the home entertainment market. Analysts are confident that consumers will be happy to upgrade older television sets to take full advantage of High Definition channels and easy access to online services such as BBC iPlayer, LoveFilm and gaming networks.

A rise in international Blue Chip investment north and south of the border has also been identified as a factor in Dalzells' growth. Companies who have relocated their European Headquarters to the Irish capital have helped create a new generation of highly paid professionals looking to buy well-known, premium brands such as Miele, Bosch, Siemens and Neff.

"This situation is being replicated in Belfast thanks to the continuing peace dividend and the forthcoming cut in corporation tax which will match that of the Republic of Ireland," added Dalzell. "We're confident that investment in Northern Ireland by companies such as NYSE Technologies and Citibank will see further growth in the sale of premium kitchen appliances."