LochAnna Kitchens on consumer kitchen buying habits

March 6, 2023

With a wealth of experience in the Kitchen industry, long-established British Kitchen supplier LochAnna Kitchens has its finger firmly on the pulse when it comes to anticipating fast-changing lifestyle consumer habits. Sinead Trainor, Kitchen Category Manager at LochAnna Kitchens, reveals exclusive research-led insights into consumer buying habits drawn from sales trends over the past six months.

A desire for premium styles

Research into the top ten LochAnna Kitchen collections sold over the past six months has revealed that mid to premium tier collections made up more than 40% of their bestsellers, with consumer habits revealing a real desire for high end, painted kitchens.

Feedback from their retailers has revealed that order values have increased due to a demand for high quality, premium cabinetry, as customers look to create a showstopping central hub in which they can entertain and socialise as doing so at home has become more commonplace.

With the advancements in innovative kitchen design, the need to compromise on style when accommodating practical solutions is no longer a challenge, meaning customers can achieve a design that’s equally as purposeful as it is beautiful. Retailers looking to increase order value should highlight how such quality kitchens are timeless in style, retaining their appeal and performance for years to come.

Investing in longevity

Investing in quality materials in key areas of the home is now more of a priority for homeowners. With both longevity and sustainability solidifying as a key consideration, many are moving away from the trend of overconsumption and instead aiming to invest once, postponing the need for future renovations in the home. At LochAnna Kitchens, our British-made kitchen cabinets are manufactured using high density 18mm MFC, as well as all furniture fittings being selected from the best factories to provide a top-quality long-lasting kitchen for years to come. In addition to this, all LochAnna Kitchen furniture is covered by our 10-year guarantee against manufacturing defects.

Consumer habits around investing in more premium collections shows the willingness to invest in long-term solutions. There has also been increased interest in smart storage solutions that allow consumers to gain more out of their kitchen space while adding a sense of ease to their daily routines.

The ongoing trend for personalisation

Out of LochAnna’s top ten selling colours in the last six months, four were in the green and blue colour families, with sales demonstrating a clear and steady upward trajectory for green kitchens in comparison to more traditional shades such as grey which saw a decline. Interestingly, greens made up more of a percentage of colours sold than blues, making up a significant 23% of all kitchens sold. This recent trend has been pushed by the surge in self-expressive design in the home, with bolder design choices being celebrated and encouraged in both traditional and social media. Due to this, there has been a strong demand for more variation when it comes to colour.

Return to the natural

Interest in timber and timber effect kitchens has peaked in recent years, as the desire for more sustainable materials as well as the warm, natural, appeal a wooden kitchen can bring to the home has become hugely popular with trends like Scandi, Japandi and Farmhouse. LochAnna’s timber painted kitchens made up 40% of their sales volume over the last six months. Interestingly, as recently as 2020, painted kitchens would only have made up around 15% of their volume, which indicates a strong upward trend in consumers seeking to bring an element of the outdoors in, leading to real timber kitchens currently taking precedent over glossy or wood imitation kitchens.

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