It’s been almost a year since we started facing the covid-19 pandemic and all the challenges it brought. All industries were struck by it, and most businesses had to adapt in order to keep the pace with the changes. Burak Kiroglu, general manager of Beko Balkans, told us how Beko managed to even record a growth in these challenging times, as well as what innovations the company introduced in order to help their consumers feel and live safe in the new circumstances.
Mr. Kiroglu, could you tell us more about Beko’s position in the Balkans and the results the company achieved last year?
As a company that has existed for more than 60 years, Beko is an international home appliance brand that operates within the “Arcelik” group and is recognized as the leading European brand in the field of white goods. The company’s headquarters for the Balkans have been located in Serbia since 2015, and until today, thanks primarily to our innovative technology and listening to market needs, the company’s market share has increased from the initial 8% to 20% in 2020. This growth speaks in favor of the fact that Beko is the fastest growing brand of white goods in Serbia, but also in Europe, and justifies our leadership position on a daily basis with global initiatives and involvement in locally relevant campaigns dedicated to improving health and promoting healthy lifestyles. As for the last year, we surely managed to justify the trust of our consumers and maintain growth of over 10%.
Beko is regularly conducting relevant studies in order to observe the needs of its customers, could you share some of its results with us?
An extensive study conducted for Beko by the marketing agency Gfk across 31 markets last year, showed the vast impact the pandemic left on people’s everyday life – as many as 70% of respondents stopped going to the office and organized their workplace, including all accompanying activities, within their home, while 83% of them have changed their shopping habits. World trends that show that people, after the initial surprise, turned to arranging their living space and raising the level of hygiene, have not bypassed Serbia either, and the same tendency is noticeable among Serbian consumers. People want to cook, clean and exercise at home, and generally live healthier, and to use professional devices for that purpose, with which they will achieve the best effects. Based on these insights, we developed a pioneering technology inspired by the solutions the very nature offers, and provided our customers with hygienic protection, which became imperative during the pandemic, of the top quality that remained unchanged.
Please, tell us more about the technology and the appliances within which it is built-in.
By using innovative technology of proven quality, Beko has developed HygieneShield, the first line of products that includes disinfection programs, which work on the principle of heat, thermal steam and UV rays. Inspired by the healing properties of the nature, the devices remove more than 99% of bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus, providing users with the effects of professional hygiene maintenance at home, while also using appliances of the most modern design and functionality. This series contains seven lines of white goods, and also include refrigerators, ovens, washing machines and dryers, dishwashers and UV cleaning cabinets – all aimed at making the everyday usage a pleasant, comfortable and healthy experience.