Nigerians defy economic downturn to savour premium home appliances at exhibition

Inspite economic downturn, some Nigerians still prefer exquisite home appliances and furnishings. This was the revelation at the just concluded Nigeria’s Made By Design Exhibition held at the Landmark event center in Lagos.

This exclusive event, which had The Guardian as media partner catered to key players in the home and hospitality industry, featuring premium and exquisitely crafted home products and designs.

Miele, a German family-based luxury domestic and professional appliances maker, set up in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann in Gütersloh collaborated with three“ quality-driven design firms; the Abuja Furniture Production (AFP), WOODstyles and Essential Interiors.

At the exhibition, Miele in collaboration with its partners, showcased quality cooking products, washing machines, food warming drawers, fridge and freezers, coffee makers, and wine conditioning units.AFP, the furniture production facility of Julius Berger, offers a range of high quality furniture that is entirely made in Nigeria utilised its modern techniques and sophisticated designs to display a range of their products, including kitchen and living room spaces.

Their exhibition was also maximised by Miele, as she showcased her state of the art ovens, fridges, freezers and coffee machines. In particular, design enthusiasts were able to savour the Miele- made coffee, cappuccino and cupcakes.

Speaking on the event, Mustapha Olorunnibe, Managing Director, Miele Group Nigeria said “when we initially brought Miele to Nigeria, it was to be the first in the West African market and so there were initial challenges. Nothing could have prepared us for how the Nigerian consumer buys luxury but it helped that German luxury car makers — Porsche and BMW —had done well in Nigeria and any market that buys these cars is also a market for us. So we took a leap”.

According to him, “Lagos, for instance was known for its ostentatious lifestyle, top cars and mega weddings. Lagosians are extroverts and source for luxury outside of the home. Thus, many of the prospective rich clients didn’t understand the need to buy a product that would be hidden inside their kitchens. Most of our customers were those who were well-travelled or had lived overseas for a while. In those trips they became aware of the Miele brand and understood the subtlety of owning a premium home appliance”.

For WOODstyles, sophistication and style was not compromised as the company displayed unique, classic and modern furniture and cabinet ensembles. Its bespoke joinery and cabinetry pieces were designed beautifully, perfectly complementing the Miele appliances on display.

The Miele washing machine, coffee machine and robotic vacuum cleaners took center stage on the WOODstyles kitchen stand. A highlight of the exhibition was the stylish demonstration of the use of Miele washing machine systems and detergents. The laundry display was panned out by a Miele lab expert, who compared the difference in action between the Miele Ultra Phase One detergent and a regular branded detergent. When applied in a mixture of iodine and water, the results showed that Miele detergents were as effective as they were efficient.

When the regular detergent was mixed with the chemicals, it didn’t make a difference to the water and iodine mix. But when a drop of the Miele Ultra Phase Two detergent was added into the mix with the Miele Ultra Phase One and the iodine and water mix, the results were near magical as the Miele detergents totally cleared the iodine from the water mix, showing the effectiveness of using the Miele detergents as opposed to using other detergents.

Other demonstrations included the Miele robotic vacuum cleaner, which showcased smart floor care technology by displaying how the robotic vacuum is used to effectively clean hard floors and carpet. The event was a brilliant outing, and together with our partners, it was great success, ending on a real high note. Appetites whetted, champagnes popped and new opportunities for business and design.

Miele is already collaborating on food and wine events with wine merchants like Grand Cantina and premium cutlery maker, Riedel Glassware Company as customers of these premium products bask in the excitement of having intelligent appliances serve all their needs.