At least three western European companies showing here at Domotechnica, the world's largest fair for electrical appliances, expressed intentions of getting their floor care products into U.S. retail outlets. Meanwhile, two companies from the United States showing here continued to make headway in their expansion into the western European floor care market as well.
The international companies with sights set on the United States are Fakir-Werk of West Germany, and the Italian firms G3 Ferrari Spa and Vetrella Spa. In addition, Miele, the West German firm which already sells vacuums and appliances in the United States, introduced innovations designed to make its vacuum models more user-and environment-friendly.
Fakir-Werk already sells its vacuums and its Nilco brand of heavy-duty cleaners to commercial clients in the United States under the Clarke name. After talking with representatives from at least three U.S. distribution companies, Fakir-Werk appeared on the verge of entering the retail floor care market for the first time with its full line of products.
A Fakir-Werk export sales manager declined to reveal the names of these distributors, but said his firm usually gives distributors exclusive rights.
The company's product line includes an upright vacuum with a detachable suction hose that can be handheld, and a new Nilco three-motor combination scrubber-vacuum that is small enough to sell for home use. The three motors can be controlled individually, a major selling point for the product that hit the European retail market late last year.
G3 Ferrari said it expected it would introduce its Mister Steam Plus in April at the Gourmet Show in San Francisco, said Luciano Conterno, marketing and sales director. The steam cleaner, using only water, has been available in Europe for several years, but Conterno traveled in the United States last year to demonstrate the steamer to department stores.
"It can clean anything," he said, even ovens. "It also disinfects and sterilizes because of its high temperature."
The cleaner works without detergents or solvents, an important consideration as western Europe looks toward ecologically safe products.
Conterno said he expects the steamer to receive Underwriters Laboratory approval in three or four weeks. Besides selling the product in department stores, he hoped to list it in catalogs because of its high retail price of $300.
Vetrella reported success selling its products commercially in the United States, and is looking for a retail entry. Cristina Carraro, international sales manager, said Vetrella has been distributing its products through Cove Sales Corp. in Medford, N.Y., since July, and she said she is "quite happy" with the sales results.
Carraro said Vetrella showed at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and will take on U.S. retailers "as soon as I find the right channel." She did not rule out the possibility of selling retail through Cove Sales distributorship.
In its vacuum line, Vetrella offers an upright with a rigid plastic bag that fills from bottom to top. Its newest cleaning product is six months old, the Multi Vac high-pressure jet-extraction cleaner that doubles as a wet or dry vacuum.
Crossing the Atlantic, two U.S. companies exhibiting here reported favorable results breaking into the western European market.
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