Iavorschi, Arctic: We've gone back in time to the semi-automatic washing machine

Monica Iavorschi, 37, general manager of home appliances manufacturer Arctic in Găești, says we have gone back in time a few years in terms of consumption of home appliances, with demand for semi-automatic washing machines and for refrigerators with basic functions returning.

“We have gone back in time many years. People buy products that are as standard as possible, to satisfy their basic needs – wash and dry.” Iavorschi believes the consumption decline and implicitly the market decline primarily have to do with the economic context, while the psychological component – the optimism/pessimism of consumers plays only a secondary role. The GDP decline, the rise of unemployment, the higher VAT since July are very concrete things that have led to a decline in the purchasing power and to lower demand than before. “Consumer behaviour has changed for all product categories. In the case of refrigerators, the trend was to buy fridge freezers and bulky products between 2005 and 2008, but now things have changed 180 degrees. (…) People have gone from bulky fridges to smaller ones and are more sensitive to energy consumption. Everything has to do with a tight wallet.”