SELLING REFRIGERATORS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 47, 11 March 1937, Page 13

SELLING REFRIGERATORS

9 i» a 120,000 in a Year _ Refrigerator advertising expenditures have reaohed a new high level this year. In Great Britain weather proviaes ref rigerators ' greatest saies resistance, Lately temperatures for early summer have been well below normal, though the past few days have -been more favourable. Competition among manufacturers has been intensified. Elaborate campaighs have been organised by newcomers and long established firms alike. Some indication of the success of their efforts is given by the "Sunday Dispatch," which reports in a recent aurvey that mechanical refrigerators are being sold at the rate of 120, Q00 a yeay, This figur© will be half as much again before the end of the summer. A saies manager, quoted in the samo paper, said; "i'or every machine we sold ia years ago we ara now selling 2,500. We are tuxning them out at the rata of oue every Si minutes." The "Sunday Despatch" believes the increase in household refrigeration is bringing prosperity to a new industry comparable with the boom in radio, Mechanical refrgerator advertisere have grpwn in the past few years from rare users of small newspaper spaces, Mgh-class magazine positions, to heavy spenders in the national Prass. With fiill pages, extensive campaigns. Eor some years their appeal was limited, prices high, Depression which hit the world around 1929 Tetarded the business, and it was not nntil . the British Commercial Gas Assoeiation began to advertise gas refrigerators

some two years ago, offered; re&lly easy terms, that the "little man" was. made j to realise that sueh luxnries wero with- I in his pocket, I American observers find the situation I interesting because Britain has akipped 1 the ice- box era, gone straight for mech- 1 anieal food cooling, I The inconveniences of the ige-box I were great enough to count it out as a j kitchen aecessory in this wild climate. But the eleetrie or gas refrigerator, althongh never likely to attain the degree of popuiarity it has achieved in less temperate Ameriea, is snfficiantly clean, and easy to handle, to win a great measure of publie favour in the United Hingdom. — "World, Pres-' News,"