Hotpoint - Story of the Uk's Best Selling Kitchen Appliances

Part of the Indesit group of companies, Hotpoint has been the best selling manufacturer of kitchen appliances in the UK for decades. Here we look at the background of the company and the products on offer today.

The Hotpoint Electric Heating Company was formed in 1911 and now Hotpoint is a household name for kitchen appliances such as dishwashers, fridge freezers and washing machines.

In 1920 Hotpoint and GElectric of the United States established the Hotpoint Electric Appliance Company Limited to market branded goods in the UK. In 1929, Hotpoint became a part of GEC group. Hotpoint was a brand of GEC and in 1989 merged into a new division named General Domestic Appliances. GE then purchased a 50% share, and in 1998 was to become GDA Applied Energy.

Hotpoint is now part owned by Merloni, founded by Aristide Merloni as Industrie Merloni in 1930. The company didn't originally produce appliances but soon created a range of appliances branded Ariston.

In 1985, Merloni bought Indesit, they were competitors in Italy at the time, but Merloni did not have the european presence that Indesit had gained. Back in 2005 Merloni was renamed Indesit Company, as Indesit was the most recognisable brand under their control.

Indesit Company had a 14% slice of the white goods market in 2007. This comprises of appliances like washers, dryers, refrigeration, dishwashers and built in products too. Ovens, hobs and cooker hoods are a large part of this market now, especially with the European trend of built-in kitchens becoming ever more popular.

Sales tipped 3.4 billion last year, and the group produced over 16 million kitchen appliances in over 30 markets around the world. The group is second only to Electrolux for production of appliances in Europe. They currently employ over seventeen thousand people.

The one thing that seems to keep Hotpoint at the top of the sales table is the ability they have to look after customers post-purchase. Many a brand has fallen down due to inadequate response times, poor timescales for service and repair, and high product failure rates. Playing to the economies of scale they benefit from, Hotpoint have over the years installed a dependable back-up network. More homes have a Hotpoint appliance than any other brand, and they back this up with the biggest after-sales service operation in Europe. With appliances having a life span of around 4 years on average, this is an important factor when today's consumers are making a considered purchase.

Hotpoint's current philosophy is about intelligent ideas, and the brand pushes the suggestion they combine 'advanced technologies with common sense'.

Another area that Hotpoint are concentrating on, is the environment. Every year they are building a reputation as a brand who are towards the front of innovation with regards to energy performance. Features such as A%2B in energy efficiency and Eco Cycles and settings help the consumer decide to take a Hotpoint model into their home. The Eco LED indicator on the Aqualtis washing machines will let you know if you have made energy savings of up to10% through modifying the temperature or spin speed of your selected wash cycle.

Some of the modern features of Hotpoint appliances include ideas like faster programmes than other manufacturers and silent operation. The new 'Baby Cycle' has been specially designed for stains associated with babies.