By Matthew Henry
SYDNEY: Kambrook will join De’Longhi in launching a new range of electric blankets to put pressure on market leader Sunbeam in the electric blankets category this coming season.
Both De’Longhi and Kambrook are pouncing on the opportunity posed by the $40 million electric blankets category in 2008, each making a concerted attempt at gaining market share with their new blanket ranges.
Kambrook brand manager, James Robinson, said there is a need to keep Sunbeam on its toes after years as the clear market leader.
“The market leader in this category has something like 70 per cent of a $40 million market and we fell they should be challenged,” he told Appliance Retailer in its February issue.
“We want to do it in the right way with innovation for the consumer, so we have developed a completely new blanket.”
The newly-developed Kambrook range will be marketed under the existing Snugasabug brand.
However, the 2008 lineup will boast a more comprehensive product offering and innovative features it claims have not been seen before in this market.
“This market has been a bit stagnant with not much innovation,” said Robinson.
“We want to encourage consumers to replace their blankets with something new, so we have introduced differentiated features. What we are coming out with is pretty much unique to Kambrook. This is more sophisticated than anything else the market has seen,” he said.
The new Zoned Control offering will enable independent heat control of the lower and upper zones of the blanket to suit the user’s preference.
Kamrbook’s Snugasabug blankets will also feature microprocessor controlled safety overheat protection, revovable controllers (on selected models) and removable covers.
Other features include fully-programmable timer clock, bedside table-friendly remote control and boost button for rapid heat up.