PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.–The pickup in fourth-quarter 2009 sales of large and small appliances offer promise of further growth this year, according to The NPD Group.
The market-research firm’s consumer tracking service showed that sales of small appliances jumped 14 percent on a dollar basis over the fourth quarter of 2008, and unit sales were up 20 percent. The top categories were upright vacuums, drip coffeemakers and heaters, NPD said. The one negative that emerged from the company’s research was a 2 percent drop in average unit selling prices for all small appliances.
Meanwhile, major-appliance sales in the fourth quarter rose 5.5 percent over the fourth quarter of 2008, on both a dollar and unit basis. Microwaves, dishwashers and refrigerators all enjoyed double-digit growth in dollars, while unit sales of dishwashers, microwaves and washing machines had strong increases. Mark Delaney, director of NPD’s home division, said many retailers that featured major appliances in their Black Friday advertisements—some of which promoted “door-buster” specials—achieved positive results.
Peter Goldman, president of NPD’s home division, said these results indicate that the appliance industry is “moving back in a positive direction.” However, Goldman said consumers remain cautious in their spending, as evidenced by their purchases of lower-price products in these categories.
