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what is selling Barry et ...al
QUESTION:Barry, back in oct of '99 you said,
"While the sale of pump machines has increased in the past few years,
the majority of machines sold are boiler machines, and an
overwhelming majority of home machines fall under the $200 mark. I'd
say no more than 5% of home machines are over $200. Also consider
the total number of machines sold each year has started to
*decline*."
Other than any change in the value of a dollar, how true is this now?
ANSWER: as with the coffee industry in general, so, perhaps, with the home
espresso machine industry.... it might be that there is significant
growth in "high end" machines (over $200), but that overall sales of
espresso machines is declining. *i don't know*, and i haven't seen
the numbers from the housewares industry yet. at the time i wrote
that original piece, an obscene amount of the home espresso market was
sub-$100 boiler machines; i have no reason to suspect that it is
otherwise now. for every $200-$400 machine sold in the US, you have
to figure perhaps at least ten $50 boiler machines were sold. if the
boiler sales decline, then the overall numbers will decline, even if
sales of high end machines is increasing. the reasons for shifts in
the market are manifold, and, from my perspective, speculative... i
know that this past holiday season we sold no boiler machines, and
about a half dozen briel lidos (pump), and no solis. last year i
think we sold about fifteen gustos and a couple of solis. the
machines featured in the department stores are predominantly boilers,
and while many were sold during the holidays, there are still plenty
left on the shelves.
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