Rangecookers.co.uk finds traditional still preferred choice

The range cooker market is polarised between models with a traditional feel and those with a more modern appeal. Coloured enamel finishes and staggered cavity layout on the one hand, stainless steel and sleek symmetrical lines, inspired by contemporary architecture and the industrial chic of restaurant kitchens, on the other.

The traditional look focuses on the smooth and rounded features epitomised by the cast iron details of appliances from the 1950s, and although the “farmhouse kitchen” look is still an influence, these days there is a little more restraint than in the heady days of the 1980s, and fancy finials and faux brass finishes are much in the minority.
So which is the more popular look – traditional or modern? In a sample of over 4,000 installations supplied by cooker experts Rangecookers.co.uk, throughout 2010 the modern category accounted for 48.5% of range cookers supplied, whilst the slim majority of 51.1% were of traditional design.

Products sold ranged from a modern single cavity 90cm Flavel cooker at £600 to a top-of-the-range traditional style French cooker from Lacanche at over £7,000. The pricier end of the scale remains relatively healthy, and overall 24.5% of all cookers sold with a retail price of over £1,800. Interestingly, the proportion of high-end sales was greater in the traditional half of the market whilst modern designs, often suited to more integrated kitchen, were prevalent at the lower end of the scale.

Rangecookers managing director Chris Parker, who extracted and analysed the product data, also remarks on the influence of colour across the two sectors. “Overall, black was the most popular finish in 2010, taking 39% of the market spread across traditional and modern,” he comments. “Stainless steel was the preferred choice of 33% of customers, with cream and other colours occupying the remaining 28%. Of these other colours, reds, browns, blues and greens are evidently the preserve of the up-market traditional sector, but together occupy less than 10% of cooker installations.”

Visit Rangecookers.co.uk for further details. The website displays over 400 range cookers as high resolution, accurately representative colour images.