Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
A selection of UK housewares retailers recently visited Denmark to road-test Eva Solo’s grill & cookware ranges.
Representatives from cookshops Borough Kitchen of London, Kooks Unlimited of Richmond-upon-Thames in Surrey, David Mellor of London and Trevor Mottram of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, along with department store Fenwick Brent Cross of London and catering specialist G & G Goodfellows, took part in the event.
The aim of the trip, which took place on September 20 and September 21, was for the Danish brand and its exclusive UK distributor Forma House to ‘learn more about the demands of the British consumer when it comes to cookware, understand the potential for the brand in the UK, and receive retailer feedback on the shape of the UK market’.
The excursion also gave the retailers the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of cooking with Eva Solo products.
Forma House business development manager Simon Maghnagi commented: “We’ve been exclusively distributing Eva Solo in the UK for just over a year now, and we know just how good its cookware and grill ranges are. But at the same time, we know how tough this market can be to crack.
“We decided to organise this visit so we could showcase exactly what Eva Solo can offer UK consumers – right at the heart of where the business began over 100 years ago.’’ On day one, the retailers toured Eva Solo’s head office and distribution centre to learn more about the design process and brand, followed by a master class in barbecue grilling.
In the evening, the group split into pairs and competed to cook medium steak and béarnaise sauce from scratch. Their efforts were judged by chef Mads Søndergaard from the National Culinary Team Of Demark.
Helen Miller from Fenwick Brent Cross and Sarah Wood from Trevor Mottram took the top spot, and both won a set of Nordic kitchen pans to take home.
Store visits to check out the Danish retail scene and see the strength of Eva Solo in its home market (90% of Danish households own an Eva Solo cookware product, according to Forma House), wrapped up day two.
Eva Solo export manager Susanne Holm said: “It was great to see our guests participating in the interactive grill lesson and giving it their all in our ‘cook-off’.
“We do believe that this trip has inspired our guests, both in terms of new products to bring into their range and ideas in general for their respective shops, following the visit to some stores in Copenhagen that feature Eva Solo.
“After the event we received some great feedback from our guests, which is fantastic. We feel the initiative was a true success.’’
Eva Solo is distributed in the UK by Forma House Ltd: www.formahouse.co.uk
