Laundry has emerged as the strongest growth category for independent electrical retailers, according to the ERT Report 2026.
ERT’s inaugural industry survey found that 56.3 per cent of respondents identified laundry as a category that had experienced strong growth over the past 12 months, putting it ahead of cooking appliances at 43.8 per cent and dishwashing at 31.3 per cent.
Refrigeration, small domestic appliances, consumer electronics, premium/luxury appliances and sustainable or energy-efficient products were each selected by 25 per cent of respondents.
ERT Editor Will McGill said: “There’s been plenty of discussion about how difficult trading conditions are, so I think it’s equally important that the ERT Report highlights where retailers are actually seeing opportunities.
“Laundry coming out on top is interesting, particularly when more traditional areas such as refrigeration and consumer electronics were some way behind. It shows that growth certainly isn’t uniform across the market.”
The finding forms part of the ERT Report 2026, which looks at sales, margins, changing customer behaviour and the challenges and opportunities facing independent electrical retailers.
Read the full ERT Report 2026 for all the findings.
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