By Bryan Wall
Product Test Journalist | Kaipūrongo Whakamātautau Hautaonga
Italian kitchen appliance brand Smeg will soon be sold in New Zealand again – after a brief break following its supplier Applico and retailer Kitchen Things going into receivership last year.
Smeg has recently announced re-entry into the New Zealand market and told us its appliances will start to be sold through Harvey Norman, Total Kitchens, Winnings, 100% Home, Heathcotes and Farmers over the coming months.
We had test results for dozens of Smeg appliances, including ovens, rangehoods and dishwashers, when Applico and Kitchen Things collapsed midway through last year. We marked many of them as discontinued in our results at that time – this means you can still see how they scored if you’re buying them second-hand. We will start bringing them back into our main test results as our market researcher lets us know they’re available again.
Farmers has continued to sell Smeg kettles and toasters – and our members can check how they perform in our test results.
Why did Smeg disappear?
Kitchen Things, a part of the Jones family business, was founded 40 years ago by Mark Jones and was synonymous with quality European brands, including Smeg and ASKO. It had 16 stores across the country at one stage. The closure, which was completed in October last year, was due to a decline in sales, attributed to weaker demand from consumers for high-end appliances, combined with increased competition on pricing. It was reported that the group owed creditors more than $16 million.
What if you already own a Smeg appliance and need repairs or spares?
Smeg NZ have you covered – they’ve teamed up with national service agents ESI to provide after-sales support. This also covers products that were sold by Kitchen Things. Good job Smeg!
