Beko, a leading international home appliance brand, plans to expand further into Saudi Arabia this year by enlarging its product portfolio to cover all home appliances and promoting its smart, green, cutting-edge technology home solutions.

This follows the recent opening of its first fully branded showroom in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The consumer appliances sector showed strong 20 per cent growth over the past six years where sales increased from SR7.7 billion ($2.05 billion) in 2011 to over SR10 billion ($2.6 billion) in 2016.

Mete Kirkit, marketing manager of Beko’s parent company Arçelik, said: “There are many factors that affect the growth of this dynamic market. We are well positioned to take advantage of these factors, today and into the future.”

Triggered by a high birth rate, an increasing number of expatriates coming into the country and, the effects of an ever more modernised society with restricted resources given energy, budgetary and time restraints, have all been factors pushing growth.

Kirkit said: “Women’s increased participation in the workforce has pushed households to opt for more consumer appliances, which would make their home care routines easier.”

“Modern retailing has also positively contributed by providing consumers with quick, easy and sometimes more economical access to home appliances. From 2010 to 2015, the number hypermarkets rose by 46 per cent while the number of specialised appliances and electronics grew by 18 per cent,” he added.

Consumer appliances sector forecasts indicate continued growth of 12 per cent over the next four years (2018 to 2021) where sales are expected to reach SR11.9 billion ($3.17 billion) by 2021, said a statement.

For Beko, the growth this time will come from rising consumer awareness about energy-efficient, high-tech products.

“We are very well positioned to address the energy-efficient market with our current range of smart, green next generation products,” said Kirkit.

“The Saudi Energy-Efficiency Centre (SEEC) continues to make efforts to reduce energy consumption, and we are ready today to meet this initiative,” he added.

Beko has also echoed plans to expand further into the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in 2017 and 2018, and become one of the top three brands in the region.

“Our expansion into the GCC is a part of our global plan to create a trade corridor between Turkey and the Asia-Pacific region, which we call the ‘Beko Road,’ just like the historical ‘Silk Road’ that expanded trade from East to West,” said Kirkit.

“Consumers in the GCC appreciate the advanced smart, green technologies embedded into our products, which make their daily lives easier, healthier and more energy efficient,” he added.

The company brings many brand marketing assets to the region, high on the list is Beko’s branding partnership with Football Club Barcelona (FC Barcelona), signed in 2014. Called ‘Official Partner of the Everyday,’ the deal will position Beko as a consumer-centric brand that supports the needs of real people every day, while celebrating the kitchen as the heart of the home for modern families.

“Our partnership with FC Barcelona was developed with the markets of the GCC in mind, where we know there’s a huge football fan base,” he said.

“We will strive to increase our brand footprint and market share in the GCC to meet the success we are experiencing in Europe, where Beko has become the UK’s best-selling brand,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service