Category Archives: Domestic appliance news,

New external filtration device from Xeros

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Xeros announce the launch of a brand new product, the XF3, our independent and freestanding microfibre filtration device. XF3 enables our patented and market leading microfibre filtration system, XFilter to be housed as a stand-alone solution, compatible with any washing machine model. The XF3 achieves a 99% microplastic capture rate and is designed for upmost consumer ease, requiring no replacement cartridges and has one of the lowest emptying frequencies of all available filters. To make the product even more consumer-friendly, XF3 can be installed at any height enabling its sleek modular design to sit on a countertop or under a sink. It is programmed to automatically start when the washing machine drains and has an alert when it needs emptying, enabling users to simply plug it in and leave it to work with complete peace of mind.

XF3 is available immediately for licensing and branding partners and will be launching to consumers in 2024.

RETRA BOARD PROPOSES CLOSURE

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Retra board proposes closure of the trade association – members will vote on next steps.

Retra has announced that its board has taken the decision to close the trade association, but, if a proposal goes ahead, Retra will be absorbed into BIRA (British Independent Retailers Association), which will create a new division dedicated to electrical retailers and repair agents.

The association says that the decision to close Retra, which represents independent electrical retailers, has been made with careful consideration by the board and it is intended that as part of BIRA, Retra will better serve the needs of its members in the ever-changing landscape of the electrical retailing industry.

BIRA is a bigger trade association than Retra and it will continue to provide the current Retra support with some additional enhanced services that are not currently offered. The current cost of BIRA membership is £205 per year, which is around half that of Retra membership. 

If the proposal goes ahead – a vote will be taken by Retra members at an EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting) on February 1 2024 at 11am to decide the outcome, Retra will pay the BIRA membership cost of the first year for its members, and any monies left in the Retra bank accounts will be returned to paid-up members. 

As part of the process, Retra’s insurance business, Retracare, will be sold. Although nothing has been formally signed, the board is discussing the sale of Retracare to Pacifica Group. Retra intends for the business to continue and Pacifica is committed to enhancing the range of services on offer. 

Commenting on the announcement, Retra CEO, Howard Saycell, said, “This decision has not been taken lightly. Every effort has been made to sustain the membership numbers, but sadly, the decline has continued and has accelerated.

Sharp presents its technologies for Smart Living

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Sharp‘s booth at CES 2024 presents the Smart Living according to the company. Central is the CE-LLM (Communication Edge-LLM) edge AI technology, powering a virtual tour guide capable of engaging visitors with naturally paced and lively interactive conversations. The exhibit highlights a high-speed oven with proprietary Quad Heating technologies. “Combining the industry’s first gold carbon heater for charcoal grill flavor, convection circulation, inverter control microwave, and intelligent cooking control, this high-speed oven helps reduce cooking time to as little as 1/3 of that of a conventional home oven”, the company explains. Sharp is also showcasing powerful hair dryers and upright vacuum cleaners designed to operate at or near 50db, approximately as quiet as a household refrigerator. Moreover, non-contact vital signs sensors and the vital signs sensors for wearable devices are shown.

Dreame launch

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CES 2024: Dreame presents the new line of robot vacuum cleaners

Dreame Technology presents the new line of robot vacuum cleaners at CES 2024. The DreameBot L10s Pro Ultra model is part of Dreame’s line of innovative home appliances which includes: DreameBot Additionally, Dreame also features the Roboticmower A1 and a selection of high-speed hair dryers.

“Dreame understands the evolution of customer needs ,” says Chris Lin , General Manager of Dreame Technology North America, “At CES 2024, we will introduce our latest products that redefine the hands-free experience. Our line of robot vacuum cleaners and other household products will allow our customers to have more free time, offering greater convenience, performance and quality.”

DreameBot L10s Pro Ultra 

The L10s Pro Ultra robot vacuum cleaner features an improved MopExtend™ that reaches tight spaces between furniture and the floor and room edges. Thanks to the Robot Flex arm, it reaches dirt and spills that other vacuum cleaners can’t reach.Furthermore, it is equipped with 7,000Pa Powerful Vormax™ Suction technology which allows you to suck up hair, dirt and dust. Dreame L10s Pro Ultra automatically assesses how dirty a space is and re-cleans areas that need more attention to ensure a flawless finish.

The base station is equipped with two scrapers and an automatic base station cleaning plate that remove dirt while the mop is washed with hot water, ensuring it is clean and ready for the next use. In addition to cleaning its own mop, the DreameBot L10s Pro Ultra dries itself, empties the dust bag and refills with water and cleaning solution while docked at the base station.

Thanks to the combination of artificial intelligence and a 3D light system, it intelligently detects and bypasses the most common obstacles to ensure that nothing is damaged and to avoid interruptions of operations.

GE Profile announces the availability of its new Smart Indoor Smoker

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GE Profile™ announces the availability of its new Smart Indoor Smoker with Active Smoke Filtration
GE Profile™ announces the availability of its new Smart Indoor Smoker with Active Smoke Filtration the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker with Active Smoke Filtration. The GE Profile™ Smart Indoor Smoker provides a revolutionary way to experience a time-honored cooking method—smoking food, without the hobbyist hassle. With innovative technology and countertop convenience, smoked food no longer requires a huge time commitment, a backyard and nice weather.
As the first and only indoor smoker, Active Smoke Filtration technology uses heat and a highly engineered catalyst system to turn real-wood smoke into warm air packed with flavor. The Smart Indoor Smoker is designed to efficiently deliver delicious, wood-smoked seasoning to a variety of foods. Designed for optimal smoke with custom controls and maximum flavor, this unique airflow system, along with tight gaskets and seals keeps the smoke in the appliance, not in the kitchen.

Creating flexibility for users from novice to pro, smoke intensity and temperature can be separately dialed in to achieve perfect flavor thanks to a separate heat source for burning pellets and cooking foods. Whether a hint of smoke or full smoke flavor is preferred, the Smart Indoor Smoker gives cooks the ability to customize. Five adjustable smoke settings let users control the smoke levels until they find their ideal flavor. This level of customization allows cooks to explore barbeque favorites or new recipes with ease and achieve consistent results. The six preset food settings create amazing results for brisket, pork ribs, pork butt, chicken wings, chicken breast and salmon using a heat source at the bottom of the appliance. Users can also customize their own food and smoke settings for other foods of choice from side dishes to dessert.

“We believe that this product will completely change the game when it comes to smoked food,” said André Zdanow, executive director of small appliances at GE Appliances. “Not only are we simplifying the smoking process, but we are opening it up as a cooking method to a whole new audience who may not have had the time or outdoor space to try smoking food before. From weeknight dinners to cocktail garnishes and home tailgating to peach cobbler, consumers can explore all the possibilities of having an electric smoker that is ready to go at any time.”

The Smart Indoor Smoker delivers the flavors consumers demand from a traditional smoker and it looks sleek in any kitchen. Additional features that make dinner prep and clean up a breeze include:

Smoke and Hold ensures your favorite smoked foods are ready when you are with a convenient Auto Warm setting that holds foods at food safe temperatures for up to 24 hours. Gone are the days of overcooked meals or cold dinners if guests arrive late.
GE Profile Connect+ lets users set their desired smoke levels and monitor the cooking progress from anywhere via the SmartHQ app, ensuring consistent and efficient results. Consumers can work in their home office or pick up the kids from school while checking the status of their food or controlling the settings with a few taps. Owners will also receive over-the-air feature updates like guided recipes as they are released for endless recipe tips and inspiration.
Its small footprint and large capacity can fit three racks of baby back ribs, a brisket, a whole chicken, up to 40 chicken wings or a 14-pound pork butt.
The same results consumers demand from a traditional smoker but with a fraction of the wood pellets, making it more cost effective and efficient. Plus, a pellet capture system extinguishes used pellets and collects them in a water tank for easy disposal.
Dishwasher safe, removable racks and drip trays for easy clean up.

Caple to offer 5year Guruntee

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Caple announce that we will offer 5 year guarantee on Caple appliances from January 1st 2024. If your consumer purchases a Sense Premium oven or compatible 46cm combi microwave and steam oven, then all appliances purchased for the same kitchen will receive 5 years of parts and labour guaranteed! This compliments our 5 year guarantee for taps and lifetime guarantee for sinks.

Fisher & Paykel London

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Luxury New Zealand brand Fisher & Paykel Appliances is preparing to open its London Experience Centre in early 2024. Chief operating officer for Fisher & Paykel UK, Ireland & Europe Stephen Rickersey commented: “Often referred to as the design capital of the world, London will very shortly be home to the first Fisher & Paykel Experience Centre in Europe.”

Wigmore Street, London

Samsung To Showcase Enhanced AI

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Samsung Electronics today announced that it will use CES® 2024 to introduce Samsung’s newest kitchen products, applications and features, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and SmartThings connectivity, enabling an ecosystem that delivers better food and kitchen experiences. Notable products and features in the lineup include the 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex™ Refrigerator with AI Family Hub™+ — which is the industry’s first home Internet of Things (IoT) refrigerator launched in 2016 — equipped with the all-new AI Vision Inside feature, the new Anyplace Induction Cooktop and enhancements to the Samsung Food service

To enhance the experience in the kitchen, the 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex™ Refrigerator with AI Family Hub™+ has been packed with a variety of innovative technologies. One impressive new feature is AI Vision Inside, which uses a smart internal camera that can recognize items being placed in and out of the refrigerator. Also, it is equipped with “Vision AI” technology, which can identify up to 33 different fresh food items based on a predefined set of training data comprising approximately one million food photographs.1 With the food list that is available and editable on the Family Hub™+ screen, users can also manually add expiration date information for items that they would like to keep track and the refrigerator sends out alerts through its 32” LCD screen for items before reaching that date.

Also, with the assistance of the Fridge Manager feature, which monitors the status of the water filter in the refrigerator and alerts when a replacement is needed, the Family Hub™+ screen offers easy, one-click purchase of new water filters from Amazon.2
Appliance screen functionality does not stop there. Samsung’s new Anyplace Induction Cooktop and Slide-in Range are each equipped with a 7” LCD screen, where users can view the recipes that were selected and saved from the Family Hub™+ to assist their meal preparation. The new Anyplace Induction also offers improvements in its basic cooking features such as efficient and borderless heating of pots and pans on any part of the cooktop, thanks to Samsung’s induction sheet coil technology. And with Anti-Scratch Glass applied instead of a typical ceramic glass, users won’t have to worry about scratching their induction surface when moving cookware.
What’s more, the Samsung Food application — which can now be accessed on the Family Hub™+, the Anyplace Induction Cooktop and the Slide-in Range — brings several upgraded AI features. The “Personalize” feature3 powered by the enhanced Food AI allows users to adapt recipes to reflect their dietary requirements beyond what was previously available — vegan, fusion — to accommodate gluten-free, pescatarian, dairy-free and other diets. Meanwhile, the new “Image-to-Recipe” feature3 with the enhanced Vision AI now recognizes meals and multiple food items from photographs and explores dishes that can be made with those ingredients. Lastly, Tailored Meal Plan analyzes users’ information by connecting to their Samsung Health profiles4 to create personalized meals based on their health needs.With the Bespoke 4-Door Flex™ Refrigerator with AI Family Hub™+ as the centerpiece, the food ecosystem is all about how the AI features in these kitchen products and the Samsung Food service connect and support each other, enabling users to have a better relationship with their food throughout the day and delivering a full range of smart, connected kitchen experiences.
Samsung Food also connects with and ties in Samsung Health5 to benefit the lives of users. The service uses health information collected from Samsung Health to suggest healthy, appropriate recipes. After that, users can send cooking instructions for these recipes to their various kitchen appliances with just a few key presses.
Then there is Tap View,6 which offers enhanced convenience by allowing users to easily mirror the display of their Galaxy smartphones to the Family Hub™+ screen. Furthermore, users can also enjoy YouTube and TikTok7 applications on the refrigerator screen for more information and entertainment.
Image of kitchen with Bespoke 4-Door Flex™ Refrigerator with AI Family Hub™+
All these advancements build toward Samsung’s greater goal of expanding its seamlessly connected, AI-based food ecosystem with the key focus of providing users with superior kitchen experiences that require less effort.

De’ Longhi: new global coffee machine hub is born

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De’ Longhi has agreed to buy from its parent company a stake in high-end espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco as it bets on coffee to pep up growth.
Milan-listed De’ Longhi will spend $374 million to acquire 41.2% of La Marzocco from De’ Longhi Industrial, its parent company, as well as from other minority shareholders, to create a hub with its existing Eversys coffee machine-making operation.De’ Longhi will control around 61.4% of the new hub which will see the two companies remain independent, while reaping benefits in terms of savings and chances to cross sell products.

Miele china production

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Miele production plant in Asia, Dongguan, China, currently have the largest photovoltaic installation at Miele worldwide.
A system with a total of nearly 10,000 PV modules has been in operation since 2022. In 2023, it completely covered the electricity requirements of our factory and generated more than 5.000 MWh of electricity, which is much more than we needed at our site. Therefore fed surplus quantities into the grid