High-End Appliances Still Hot Item with Homeowners

The assumption is that with news of declining new home sales, luxury home appliances would be in less demand as well. However, one supplier of top-shelf appliances is on track to sell more SubZero Pro 48″ refrigerators in 2008 than last year.

Aaron Marruso of Metro Builders Supply in Springdale said the unit is his most expensive refrigerator at $15,649 and is surprisingly in demand.  The Pro 48″ along with some less expensive but still high-end appliances make up about 4 percent to 5 percent of sales.

Marruso said it’s not unusual for a customer to spend more than $30,000 on outfitting their kitchen with the most well-heeled appliances available.

What has changed in the past year or so is the age of the house. Dream kitchens are now being installed in established homes, where the homeowners have decided to stay and upgrade rather than tread the tedious and often disappointing path of placing their home on the market.

“The beauty of the high-end appliance business is that it’s not really affected by the housing market. Those people buying our top lines aren’t making their decisions based on the same factors as the masses,” said Dave Wicklund, general manger of MBS.

One affluent client is spending $100,000 just on appliances for one house going up in Northwest Arkansas, the duo said.

Sales at MBS were about $1.5 million per month in 2006 and were down about 6 percent in 2007, Marruso said. But 2008 has promise because the first two months beat 2007 projections, Wicklund said.

Jenn-Air is another top-brand at upscale retailers in Northwest Arkansas. The quality maker of high-performance ranges and cooktops is now almost as well known for its refrigerators, ovens and dishwashers.  Marruso said stainless steel appliances have held the top trend spot for several years, but the latest trend in Jenn-Air products is a finish called “oiled bronze.”  The rich finish is an interplay of bronze and copper and its what is going into the most up-to-the-minute kitchens.

GE Café is a new series from the mainstream manufacturer that incorporates the vogue professional look to create a restaurant-inspired kitchen in your own home. Offerings range from the $1,399 Smart Dispense dishwasher to the Dual-Fuel 30″ range that features a precise-simmer burner , an extra-large convection oven as well as lower baking oven. The GE Café’ Dual-Fuel range retails for around $2,800.

A newcomer to the new wave of high-end kitchen design is Electrolux.  The name that brings vacuum cleaners to mind recently burst on the North American scene with its quality line of Italian-designed kitchen appliances. What consumers might not know is that Electrolux has been selling premium kitchen appliances for homes and restaurants in Europe for more than 70 years. A new Electrolux kitchen line is arriving in Northwest Arkansas this spring.

Wicklund said it bridges the gap between  ultra-premium brands such as Viking and SubZero, and value lines from Whirlpool and GE. Customers will pay about $2,800 for an Electrolux free-standing refrigerator and $2,300 for a 30″ range.