By Craig Zammit
SYDNEY: The winners of the seasonal Electrical Retailing Awards (ERAs) were recently announced with De’Longhi and Fujitsu winning the Best Heating Supplier and Best Cooling Supplier ERA respectively.
In the hotly-contested $112 million heating category, De’Longhi won the best supplier award with twice as many votes as its nearest competitor, and received four times as many votes as the three other brands which were also nominated.
Judges commented that they were impressed with the margin De’Longhi offered retailers in addition to its higher average selling price compared to other brands in the category. Comments described De’Longhi as “investing in innovation” and “consistently offering quality products that are well made”.
The four other nominees for the Best Heating Supplier ERA were Dimplex, IXL, Kambrook and Sunbeam.
The battle for the 2007 ERA for Best Cooling Supplier saw the same five finalists as 2006 – Fujitsu, Electrolux Kelvinator, LG, Mitsubishi Electric and Panasonic — fighting it out for the honour, with Fujitsu getting the nod over last year’s winner, Mitsubishi Electric.
Judges were complementary of Fujitsu’s “very strong brand equity”, which is driven by strong advertising campaigns which penetrate the shop floor and also heighten consumer awareness. Fujtisu’s products offer “outstanding product design and features” “good representation at store level” as well as a “great range” said the judges, while one retailer said “the best by a mile when it comes to quality” and another stating “excellent after sales service and back-up – the best in the category”.