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Housewares and Home Furnishings in the United Kingdom Is Available Now

DUBLIN, Ireland-(Business Wire)-February 7, 2008 - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c82078) has announced the addition of "Housewares and Home Furnishings in the United Kingdom" to their offering.

Our Housewares and Home Furnishings in United Kingdom report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2001-2006), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market. Forecasts to 2011 illustrate how the market is set to change.

Product coverage: carpets and other floor coverings, furniture, household textiles and soft furnishings, ceramic housewares, china and porcelain, cutlery, glassware, plastic housewares

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report?

- Get a detailed picture of the housewares and home furnishings industry;

- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;

- Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and leading brands;

- Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Economic and Demographic Trends Are Very Important

The UK market for home furnishings and housewares is revealing a growing interest in interior design, largely fuelled by media coverage, and reflects the fact that consumers want to express themselves through the individual design of their households. Growth in the number of households, along with changing demographics, provided the ingredients for reasonable growth in this market in the review period. The performance of the housing market was also an important determinant, as a well-furnished household is often a means of enhancing the value of the property.

Home Furnishings Are Becoming Fashion Items...

Although overall growth trends in the home furnishings market were distinct and clearly visible during each year of the review period, not all areas displayed positive growth. Carpets and other floor coverings make up the smallest subsector and are losing position, as sales of furniture are still growing. The good performance of household textiles and soft furnishings reveals the increased interest in interior design, which is becoming more influential, particularly, as they offer the opportunity to redesign on a smaller budget. Fashionable products increasingly attract consumers and impulse purchasing is also important.

... But Housewares Comprise Cheaper Products

Whilst there is a growing interest in fashionable items, the poor performance of the housewares market is related to the importance of plastic housewares, particularly kitchenware and tableware and crockery. By industry standards, it often includes cheap products which negatively affect overall sales. On the other hand, ceramic housewares, whose products are mainly of a practical nature and do not hold the same degree of fashion or design content, are also an important format.

Geographic Presence Imperative for Success of Housewares

Mixed retailers dominated the retail of housewares. Department stores are important and retailers often depend on conveying quality and customer service, so face-to-face interaction is still one of the most effective marketing tools in housewares. As a consequence, companies with a well-developed geographic presence, namely, specialists and department stores, will continue to be an important retail distribution channel, particularly, in the case of an increased interest in sophisticated products. Homeshopping and internet retailing may have to find their niche in plastic and possibly metal housewares, as there are important logistic difficulties regarding the delivery of fragile items.

Furniture and Furnishings Stores Rule

In the home furnishings market, some of the major retailers are changing their strategies and moving towards stores of increased size. Another typical strategy is to target the market through out-of-town superstores, commonly located in areas where they can attract a high number of consumers, and stock product lines encouraging the purchase of more items. As a consequence, furniture and furnishings stores dominate the UK market of home furnishings and their importance is growing as they are well placed to reap the benefits of the growing consumerism.

Contents:

Housewares And Home Furnishings In The United Kingdom

Local Company Profiles - United Kingdom

Housewares In The United Kingdom

Home Furnishings In The United Kingdom

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c82078

Source: Euromonitor International