A new kid on the block is set to rattle the Australian appliance industry with some observers tipping that the entry of Turkish appliance brand Beko will see some brands turfed out of store next year.Backing the entry of the new Beko brand which is owned by one of Europe’s largest appliance manufacturers, KOC Holdings, is the Narta Group. They have delivered 200 retail outlets for the Turkish company which is headed in Australia by Michael Goadby, the former CEO of Fisher & Paykel.
Among the retail groups which will stock the Beko brand is David Jones, Winnings, Betta Electrical, Clive Anthony and Bing Lee.
“We will not be Harvey Norman as we cannot afford to be in the Harvey Norman environment. We are investing our future in the Narta Group of stores” said Goadby who is positioning the brand as an “affordable” product range that will sit alongside brands like Samsung, LG and Fisher & Paykel.
“We are about delivering profitability. We have 62 new products spanning cooking, laundry and refrigeration and we are confident that retailers will back the brand which is a major success in Europe and markets like the UK.”
When asked whether retailers will simply add the Beko brand to their existing range or replace current brands with the Beko brand Goadby said “I believe that as the brand starts to sell the Beko product retailers will replace existing brands.”
“We believe that several brands could fall by the wayside in Australia because they are OEM manufacturing and don’t have the flexibility to move on price. We are a manufacturer and we have better control of our costs and pricing” he said.
A senior Narta retailer said later “Both Samsung and Fisher & Paykel are logical brands to replace. Fisher & Paykel because they have lost their design edge and appeal and Samsung because retailers fear that they will drive down the price of appliances in the future in the same way that they have driven down the price of TVs.
“There are several other brands that are suffering which will go,” they said.
Goadby added “We have said to retailers that we see the demise of several brands in the market and that we, Beko, can offer a solid future. We are a manufacturer for a start who makes products for the likes of Blanco, Fisher & Paykel. We have told retailers that they can consolidate their business with us because we offer a solid future”.
Beko, who is set to operate out of one office in Queensland, is set to deliver an extensive service support model with 100 service agents across the country.
“In the UK Beko is a discount brand, the models that we are bringing into Australia is part of our premium range which is sold in several European countries” he added.
A global heavyweight in the appliances industry, with over 50 years of international operation and presence in more than 100 countries, Beko stock sold in Australia will be sourced out of their European plants in Turkey as opposed to China or Russia.
Currently Beko is the biggest selling brand in the UK of refrigerators and washing machines, one of the top five white goods brands in Europe and one of the world’s top 10 industry brands.