PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.–Unit sales of black refrigerators, washing machines, clothes dryers and ranges all picked up in 2007, according to research by The NPD Group.
According to the research firm’s data, unit sales of black washing machines jumped 113 percent last year versus 2006, and sales of black clothes dryers rose 59 percent. Sales of black ranges increased 19 percent, and black refrigerators registered a 13 percent unit sales gain.
NPD said black has taken market share away from white in all of the major-appliance categories except dishwashers. Stainless steel appliances (which carry higher price points) also showed impressive growth in most major-appliance categories last year. Colors such as red, blue and green have also shown significant growth and are commanding some of the top price points among the various appliance color options, especially for laundry-care products.
Mark Delaney, director of home services for NPD, said the findings point toward “the laundry room as being the room homeowners aren’t hiding like they used to, presumably because new home designs call for multifunctional rooms that combine laundry with storage, gardening and sports, etc.”