Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Latest statistics from GfK shows that close to 1 million steam cleaners were sold in the last 12 months, with an extra £12 million worth of steam mops sold in the first quarter of 2013 alone.
The market research company adds that the combined vacuum and steam cleaner market reached £630 million in 2012 – the highest value seen since records began.
With barbecue weather in short supply this Easter, it seems that consumers decided to focus their attention indoors, with the total home appliance category also showing strong value growth, of over 22% from January to April.
When it comes to floorcare, steam cleaners have proved to be the ‘hero’ product for many retailers, echoing the triple digit growth rate seen by media tablets in the technology world.
Vacuum cleaners have also benefited from an early start to spring cleaning, with specialist carpet washers and deep cleaners growing by 5% in volume.
Easy to store and lightweight hand sticks have also recorded significant growth of more than 300%.
