Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
In the fifth anniversary edition of the John Lewis Retail Report, the department store group has taken a look back at its kitchenware sales over the past year.
The findings are based on shopping data over 12 months, from August 2016 to September 2017.
For British kitchens, the key theme was practical, healthy eating, John Lewis said, ‘with the right gadgets and ingredients to grab a quick snack or savour an elaborate feast. And almost every kitchen featured a trendy coffee machine’.
The top five trends (with comments from John Lewis) are:
*‘Grab and go’ dining: ‘The kitchen is the engine of the home, where everyone comes to refuel, even when they’re in a rush. This year, we’ve seen significant rises in water bottles (up 50%), lunch boxes (up 80%) and thermal mugs (up15%); a reflection of the growing trend for ‘grab and go’ food and drink. Modern day pressure cookers are also making a comeback as a quick way to prepare the evening meal.’
*Eco-conscious kitchens: ‘Reflecting a growing awareness of the environmental impact of lifestyle choices, we’ve seen a sales increase of 12% in plastic food storage, as customers cut back on food waste. Our eco-friendly, natural cleaning products are steadily growing in popularity and recycling bins are a must for any modern kitchen.’
*Blending outdoors and indoors: ‘As customers stretch their culinary repertoires, their kitchens are expanding to include the outdoors. BBQs, smokers and pizza ovens have all seen strong sales this year; the Uuni Pizza Oven and Landmann Tennessee Smoker both sold out.’
*The connected kitchen: ‘This year, overall sales of connected home technology increased 160%. The connected kitchen is an important part of this and the latest kitchen blinds, washing machines, fridges and ovens can all be controlled by apps.’
*Bowls instead of plates: ‘Whether tucking into pasta, noodles or salad, customers increasingly favour bowls over plates. Bowl sales increased by 5% compared with sales of plates, which dropped 12%.’
John Lewis Dakara bowl
