By Adam Coleman
SYDNEY: Toshiba will enter the Australian small appliances market and return to the Australian whitegoods market after twenty years’ absence, with a range of washing machines, a rice cooker, hotpots and vacuum cleaners.
Toshiba placed a toe in the whitegoods market 12 months ago with a range of 320 to 532 litre fridges distributed only through Good Guys and Betta Electrical stores, and will expand their offering in both whitegoods and small appliances gradually over the next 12 months.
Established three years ago, Brand Group Distribution will be handling the distribution of the new Toshiba ranges, as they become available.
“We already have a range of five refrigerators and we have plans to broaden the whitegoods offer with washing machines into small electrical appliances such as rice cookers, microwave ovens, hot pots and vacuum cleaners,” Brand Group Distribution managing director, Gavin Bust told current.com.au.
“We are in various stages of product development in those areas, and we will be bringing all of those products to the market over the next 12 months. We have established an initial presence; our plan moving forward is to expand that presence, along with expanding the number of categories we will have Toshiba products in.”
Brand Group Distribution has a relationship with the relevant division of Toshiba called Toshiba Consumer Products, which is the arm of the company that relates specifically to whitegoods and small electrical appliances.
Bust said the first step is to establish retail distribution and the second phase will be to strengthen the consumer communications element.
Brand Group Distribution has appointed communications company Samuelson Talbot to help reposition its whitegoods range to Australian consumers.
Prior to the Toshiba appointment, Samuelson Talbot worked with Toshiba on projects including trade press and point of sale materials, in readiness of the whitegoods relaunch.
Samuelson Talbot managing partner, Michael Wall revealed to B&T that it was too early to discuss specifics of the upcoming campaigns, which were likely to be launched in second half of this year.
Wall did however tell B&T that the print, point-of-sale and online ads would focus on individual products, highlighting unique features to differentiate them from.