Cold spell for heating sector: Last year's lack of cold weather had a negative effect on the portable heating sector

摘要

The portable heating market suffered last year, as the continued lack of cold weather resulted in very little distress purchasing in the high street. "Despite 2003's extended summer, the winter was equally as cold as 2002, but generally brighter and with less rain", says Helen Shaw, De'Longhi's product manager "This has a slightly negative effecton the more 'impulse buy sectors', such as lower end fans and converter heaters - both categories experienced a fall in volume and value. It's interesting to note that when you lookattheyearoverall,fan heaters fared better overall, with consumers buying them during the summer months fortheir cool airfacility," The portable heating sector remains dominated by fan heaters, oil-filled radiators and converters. "The starofthe portable heating market was, again, the oil-filled radiator," says Ms Shaw "The oil-filled radiator sector experienced healthy growth, up 19.2% on volume and 8.5% in value (GfK fiaures forw/e March 2004)."