Three companies at once presented their stands on behalf of the Aluminium Association at the exhibition of non-food products HouseHold Expo 2020 held the Crocus-Expo IEC: Scovo, PC Landskrona (VARI) and Kukmor Plant of Metalware (Kukmara). We spoke with representatives of the main domestic cookware brands about the upward trends in demand and production after the spring quarantine.
The dishware companies come to HouseHold Expo every autumn to demonstrate their new lines and meet with partners from large retail chains, as well as manufacturers of non-stick coatings. The HouseHold Expo itself is held twice a year, but in spring the manufacturers visit distributors' expositions, and in autumn they present their own stands. The reason for this is that at the end of winter Frankfurt am Main hosts an international exhibition of household goods where our designers and manufacturers can familiarize with the current trends in dishware, and by autumn the Russian companies inspired by the Frankfurt show are ready present their new products on HouseHold Expo.
Both representatives of the professional community and ordinary customers know that Kukmara, Scovo and VARI bring the most modern design solutions to the market.
TRENDY GREEN
At HouseHold Expo, Scovo presented all its big draws. For example, the new Green Tree line of cookware in a positive green colour, which symbolizes prosperity.
The Green Tree pan feature eco-friendly stone with a woodgrain handle that emphasizes the closeness to nature. The eco-trends have been all the rage for the last several years, and Scovo is always at the cutting edge in design. For several years, stone motives have been popular too. Therefore, the Stone Pan line was included in the company's product range. The main benefits of this cookware include even distribution of heat, absence of toxic inclusions and resistance to deformation. The premium segment with thick walls and Ultra Black bottom is seeing a revival. The line was launched last year, but due to the pandemic was not presented on a large scale and did not hit the market then.
Uncoated aluminium cookware remains the bestseller. Decades on the market have done their business: customers choose it willingly. There is no need for the changes in its design – it will sell well in Russia and neighbouring countries anyway. The brand's bestsellers include budget non-stick pans with the service life of up to three years. In general, the current trends favour the growth of the economy segment, and the retail chains make use of it and increase their sales. Scovo, for its part, does its best to reduce the prices of its products without loss of quality, making it more affordable for the end customer.
This year aluminium cookware segment has also demonstrated good growth. It is explained by the fact the fact that most people spent the spring-summer season at home or in the countryside. And aluminium cookware is just an option for cooking at home or in a country house, so many people added new items to their kitchen collection.
According to Konstantin Pirogov, Managing Director of Scovo, despite the difficult economic situation due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company managed to compensate for the market bust, and the results of the summer period seem to be quite encouraging. Scovo is actively expanding its partner network and increasing its share in the cookware market.
“We work with the largest retail groups in Russia and the CIS, including Auchan, Fix Price, Lenta, and X5. We also started cooperation with grocery chains that started as regional ones, but today they have entered the federal level and even open the stores in Western Europe – for example, Svetofor. Through this network, our products will be sold to European customers. We are ready to start cooperating with the companies that are ready to work directly with the manufacturer and provide customers with the best product range and the best prices,” says Konstantin Pirogov.
GOLD, SILVER AND BLACK
At the autumn HouseHold Expo, the company from St. Petersburg Vari traditionally demonstrates new lines of their cookware. This year it is the Health Formula pans with a special coating that gives them a microgrill effect. PROFI WOK, a uniquely shaped wok-pan, is yet another novelty featuring a new extra-strong non-stick PEEK coating, which has a warranty of over five years.
Colori cast ware is another new line presented in a multipurpose mould with high walls. This cookware has a non-stick inner coating and coloured outer coating. The new collection is in four colours: yellow, orange, green and blue.
Another current trend is the combination of two metals: gold and silver. And, of course, the classic combination of silver and black colours is still considered trendy. Cookware with such a coating looks very unusual.
As for fashion trends, according to Vari product manager Anastasia Sarafanova, ecology and therefore green coating –has come into focus this year. Eco-style is represented by the whole Green Line collection, which includes a saucepan, a number of pans (24, 26 and 28 cm in diameter), a wok, and a grill. All this cookware is in a green “stonelike” design. The company's product range also includes the “Life” frying pan with handles from recyclable thermoplastic and aluminium. In addition, the induction bottom of the new pan helps cut down on electricity costs.
“Our company shows new products part in HouseHold Expo every year. Here, we can also demonstrate our opportunities for further development including through cooperation with partners from Whitford, our partner company that provides us with new coatings. Well, we use them on our frying pans and get wonderful new products,” said Vladimir Yarina, head of sales at Vari.
FROM EMERALD TO LIME AND PLUM
The new Trendy Style line of products was presented at the Kukmara booth this year. The products are presented in three colours: Emerald (dark emerald), Lime (juicy lime) and Mystery (ripe plum). The Trendy Style cookware will find its place in any kitchen, its carious colours will fit every taste. How convenient! Although the pots and pans have a thick-walled cast body, they remain quite lightweight. The walls are 4 mm thick and the thickness of the reinforced bottom is 6 mm. Products are cast manually and covered with a non-stick coating.
The booth also presents new items that the company is just planning to put on the market. The future collection – it has no name yet – features cookware in gold and silver with a thick-walled cast case and a three-layer dotted coating. Thanks to the special non-stick coating, the cooking ingredients can be safely stirred with iron cutlery without any risk of damaging the pan surface.
Titanium collection has become another premium line. This cookware is distinguished by a seven-layer coating system: a cast thick-walled body, a layer of rough surface for better adhesion, a primer layer and five more layers of non-stick coating. The line is designed for professionals – restaurant chefs, but is also suitable for daily use by those who love cooking. The product range also includes saucepans with gold handles and a grooved bottom to place it evenly on a stove.
“We come to this exhibition to discuss business matters with our partners. Ordinary customers can also visit the booth and receive detailed product information. I want to note that our production volumes increased during the post-quarantine period – we work around the clock and non-stop in order to satisfy the needs of our customers,” concluded Denis Ivanov, marketing manager at Kukmara, summing up his story about the cookware from Tatarstan.
About HouseHold Expo
The international industrial exhibition HouseHold Expo is the only B2B exhibition on the territory of Russia which best represents the Russian market of non-food products, household goods, goods for country life, gifts and interior objects. Exhibition organisers: MOKKA Expo Group LLC, Mayer Corporate Group – member of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI). With the official support of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.
Visiting the exhibition gives you an opportunity to update and increase your product range, to learn about novelties of the industry and find new suppliers and opportunities for developing your business, to consider profitable price and logistic offers and to discuss cooperation with potential partners.
This year the event is being held for the 25th time. The exhibition is visited by 17 500 professional visitors yearly, visitor geography comprises 56 countries (14% - CIS, 6% - other countries) and 81 Russian regions (80%). Directors and business owners make up 38% of the total number of visitors, while 31% of visitors are category and purchasing managers.