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Hotpoint Voted Britain’s Most Trusted Appliance Brand for 5th Consecutive Year

Hotpoint has been voted the Most Trusted Brand of Kitchen Appliance for the 5th consecutive year in the annual nationwide survey conducted by Reader's Digest. Hotpoint is one of only a handful of brands to receive a Trusted Brand accolade every year since the awards inception.

Hotpoint has achieved a high level of trust amongst consumers through years of producing a complete range of high quality and stylish kitchen appliances that satisfy consumers' needs.

The comprehensive survey by Reader's Digest looks at a broad range of lifestyle products and categories, including Most Trusted Food Retailer. Specific product attributes analysed in the survey include quality, strength of image, value for money and understanding consumers' needs.

Neil Tunstall, Marketing Director, Indesit Company comments: ‘This is a significant award for Hotpoint and reinforces last year's re-branding campaign. We are very proud to have been voted Most Trusted Appliance brand for the 5th year running. Hotpoint is perceived as a trusted and reliable brand, a sentiment which is clearly reflected in this award.’

Tel: 08701 50 60 70
Web: http://www.hotpoint.co.uk

Iconic Design goes Underground

Interior design experts, Justin Ryan and Colin McAllister have been showcasing the most innovative of Ideal-Standard bathroom designs in a most unusual setting at this year's Ideal Home exhibition.

The show features four authentic show homes including strangely enough a cave home, one of the trendiest living spaces currently to hit the Mediterranean. The cave home has been styled and designed by Justin and Colin.

The most basic of settings reflects the simplicity yet ingenious design of Ideal-Standard's ‘Shower Tube’ and ‘The Bath’.

The Shower Tube, conception of French designer Marc Sadler, offers a completely new approach to shower delivery. Using stainless steel and a lot of imagination, Marc Sadler has transformed the humble shower kit into a real design statement. The shower tube stands 2200mm tall with a diameter of 100mm and delivers water through a three function shower head and thermostatic valve.

The Bath was inspired by the 'Barcelona Chair' which has become an icon in its own right in terms of design and inspiration. The design team at Studio Levien have created 'The Bath' to be simply beautiful and beautifully simple. The 170 x 75cm Idealcast bath has no tap deck and features a very simple narrow rim around its whole circumference. This makes the bath visually delicate and also leads to the internal bathing space being maximised.

The 2005 Daily Mail Ideal Home Show is on at Earls Court until the 28th March.
For stockist information or to order a brochure call Ideal-Standard on 0800 590311 or visit http://www.ideal-standard.co.uk

Siemens Stars in Venetian Show House at 2005 Ideal Home Show

At this year's Daily Mail Ideal Home Show at Earl's Court in London, a selection of Siemens built-in appliances are starring in the kitchen of the Venetian show house within the central Mediterranean living village.

Designed by renowned Interior Designer, Maggie Colvin, the Venetian show house - one of several European abodes within this village area - gives visitors to the show the opportunity of tasting Mediterranean life by offering a modern fusion of decorating ideas within a traditional Italian home.

Siemens built-in appliances - namely single oven with matching extra wide gas hob and chimney hood in stainless steel - are all featured in the kitchen of the Venetian home where Maggie Colvin is pictured with Siemens Contract Development Director, John Watson, trying out the products.

As well as designing interiors, Maggie Colvin also presents various TV programmes on the subject and is a prolific author and journalist. She professed to being so impressed with the Siemens appliances at the show that she is planning to re-design her own kitchen very soon and promises to be in touch!

The annual Daily Mail Ideal Home show runs throughout March 2005 at Earl's Court in London.

For brochures & stockists, please call 0870 840 3300 or http://www.siemensappliances.co.uk

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Bathroom Manufacturers Association Joins University Project

BMA President Martyn Denny and Richard Moss of Ideal Standard, represented the Industry at the Kitchen and Bathroom Conference held in conjunction with both Lancaster and Manchester Universities at the end of January.

The two day conference debated Papers, which were presented by delegates from Finland, Holland and Denmark as well as the UK, on the practices, economics and hardware of the kitchen and bathroom.

Jointly sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition, the conference drew over forty delegates from three sectors – Academics, Services and Industry.

The Open University and the Universities of Durham, Cardiff, Centre of England and London plus the Manchester Business School represented academic institutions from the UK. The Delft University of Technology and the Wageningen University attended from Holland with Scandinavia represented by the Danish Building Research Institute. The Technical University of Denmark and the National Consumer Research Centre from Finland also attended.

Seven Trent Water and Building Research Establishment, Three Valley’s Water and The Environment Agency brought the service sector of the UK to the table, while UK Industry was represented by Martyn Denny, Richard Moss and Paul Moores from Unilever. Editor Grahame Morrison added his extensive experience to the debate.

Moss says, ‘from this first session, it is not yet clear what will come out of the Lancaster/Manchester initiative, it was though, very encouraging to hear Gert Spaagaren in his summing up welcoming the introduction of Kitchen and Bathroom courses at Universities’.

The BMA’s commitment to Qualifications, Education and Training for the bathroom Industry continues with the production of Industry Generic Training Modules, available to download free of charge from http://www.bathroom-association.org and with the work it is doing with plumbing colleges and other Industry qualification initiatives, the BMA welcomes the extension of courses being introduced at Universities.For further information please email mailto:info@bathroom-association.org.uk or telephone 01782 747123

Lofra Turns Up the Heat on Safety

With statistics from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) revealing that the almost one in ten accidents in the home occur in the kitchen, safety is high on the agenda for kitchen appliance manufacturers.

Cooker company, Lofra, has introduced a number of safety features in its latest range, including hob indicator lights, triple glazed oven doors, reinforced oven shelves and rear vents.

Chris Rogers, sales and marketing director for Lofra, commented: 'I’m sure we can all relate to burning our hands on a hob that we didn’t realise was still hot or putting our hands too far in the oven to check food is cooked.

'Safety issues have never been more significant than in today’s modern home, where the role of the kitchen has changed. It’s now a room we’re spending more and more time in as a family giving rise to greater opportunity for accidents, particularly among children who might not realise that the hob or the oven door is still hot.'

As standard, Lofra cookers now offer reinforced oven shelves, which will support up to 15kg when fully extended, hob indicator lights, which remain lit if the hob is still hot, and triple glazed oven doors to keep the outside temperature cool. The latter also serves as an energy saving device, as minimal heat is able to escape out through the door.

Lofra cookers also come with rear vents to ensure that cooking fumes escape through the back of the oven, rather than through the front when you open the door.

There are a variety of cookers in the Lofra range which are available in either dual fuel, all gas or all electric and in widths of 60, 70 and 90cm.

The Italian cooker manufacturer is also launching its built in Curva range at Expo 2005.

Top ten locations for accidents in the home:
Living/Dining Room: 11.5%
Garden/grassed area: 11.1%
Kitchen/utility: 9.7%
Bedroom: 8.6%
Stairs: 8.4%
Yard/drive: 4.7%
Bathroom: 3.5%
Hall/lobby: 2.2%
Porch: 1.8%
Unspecified: 20.4%

Soucre: ROSPA http://www.rospa.co.uk

For further information, contact Lofra on 01675 479 600.

Complaint Against Energy Saving Trust Poster Not Upheld

A Complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority from a member of the public in Scotland objected to a poster that promoted an energy saving logo on electrical appliances. The advertisement showed a photograph of a woman in a shop that sold white goods; she was on her knees with her head inside a washing machine. Text stated 'LOOK FOR THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY RECOMMENDED LOGO'. The complainant objected that the advertisement was irresponsible, because it depicted a dangerous activity and could encourage emulation amongst children.

The Complaint was not upheld:
The advertisers said the advertisement did not target or feature children; the photograph featured an adult. They said the picture and the text made clear that the woman was merely looking inside the machine and not trying to climb inside it or tamper with it. The advertisers pointed out that the woman in the advertisement was in a shop, not a domestic environment. They said the doors of all modern working machines were locked whilst a programme was running; they, therefore, believed looking inside a washing machine could not be construed as dangerous. The advertisers said the posters were displayed in retail parks and areas with a high proportion of adult shoppers.

The Authority noted the advertisement depicted a retail environment and featured an adult looking into a washing machine. It also noted washing machines could not be opened during a cycle. It considered that, because a machine could not be opened during a cycle, the activity depicted was unlikely to be dangerous even if it was emulated. The Authority concluded that the advertisement was not irresponsible.

KBSA Adapts to Meet New Challenges

The board of directors of the KBSA has announced changes to the operational structure of the association in order to prepare for future growth and development.

Lucinda Kenny, operations manager, will take full responsibility for the management of head office and the support services of the association. Graham Hayden will concentrate on representing the association at government level and progressing industry issues, such as the new Part P legislation, WEEE directive, Quality Scheme and introduction of 3 way consumer cover.

Commenting on the changes, acting National Chair Tony Nicholas said, ‘We are a strong active association and this re alignment of tasks will enable us to fully exploit our potential in delivering tangible benefits to our members and ensure that we are ready to take advantage of new opportunities.’

Graham Hayden commented, ‘I am delighted that Lucinda Kenny has been rewarded for her achievements over the last five years and I am confident that she will continue to provide our membership with the highest levels of support. I am looking forward to concentrating my efforts on these major initiatives which will, more than ever, show consumers that KBSA members are the very best in the kitchen bathroom bedroom sector’

These changes will take effect April 1st 2005.

Waterfront is Latest KBSA Corporate Member

The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association has welcomed another corporate member aboard this month – high quality bathroom accessory supplier Waterfront.

Established 10 years ago to offer design, innovation and high quality bathroom accessories to the trade, specification and retail sector, Waterfront offers a comprehensive product portfolio to meet the varied demands of a wide client-base

‘We offer everything from distinctive designer brands to excellent value entry specification ranges, all with industry leading seven year warranties,’ said Waterfront Sales and Marketing director Rob Stewart.

‘Our products include bathroom brassware, traditional and contemporary accessories, shower valves and fittings as well as a unique range of bowls and bowl stands in natural and contemporary finishes.

‘Our clients include the Berkely Group, Bellway Homes, Harrods, Fired Earth, NMBS (National Merchant Buying Society), discerning builders’ merchants and retail customers and projects have included the Astoria in St Petersburg, the Eden in Rome, the Langham Hilton, the Tresanton Hotel, the Saatchi Gallery and Dromoland Castle in Ireland.

‘Quality, design innovation and personal service are the keys to our growth success and we very much look forward to working with members of the KBSA.’

KBSA Chief Executive Graham Hayden added: ‘We’d like to extend a very warm welcome to Waterfront. This is an excellent company with a superb track record and we’re sure its membership of the KBSA will provide a most beneficial networking opportunity.’

Waterfront has recently introduced a 100 page catalogue, brochure hotline: 0121 522 4537, sales: 0121 520 5346

Llandaff Laminates Takes on Indesit Built-In

Llandaff Laminates, one of South Wales' leading distributors of worktops, kitchen furniture and appliances, is now stocking Indesit built-in appliances.

Last year Llandaff Laminates moved from its original site in Llandaff North, to a new unit at Capital Business Park. This relocation has provided the company with the ability to increase the number of brands offered.

Established in 1968, Llandaff Laminates already has a comprehensive portfolio of appliances, with top names such as Hotpoint - which it has stocked for over 15 years. With more storage space available, and priding itself on offering customers variety across all kitchen products, the distributor wanted to extend the range of appliances available - with reliable and stylish, yet affordable products.

The Indesit built-in collection fits the bill - offering products of aesthetic appeal, while still maintaining a reputation for quality products at affordable prices.
In response to a significant growth in the built-in market, Indesit has added a new collection of products to the existing built-in range. Launched in February 2005, these new products demonstrate the brand's commitment to offering a complete range of built-in appliances.

Mark Phillips, Llandaff Laminates Managing Director, comments ‘We are continuously investing in quality merchandise, as we have demonstrated over the years with brands such as Duropal, Hotpoint and Cannon cookers. Indesit's built-in range allows us to offer products for the budget conscious consumer - who want high performance, design led products, at affordable prices. The comprehensive range also means that our customers can offer consumers the complete appliance package.’

For further information regarding Llandaff Laminates call 02920 777333 or visit http://www.llandafflaminates.co.uk

For more information on Indesit, please visit http://www.indesit.co.uk

Unique Features + Special Benefits = Neff Ovens

To make cooking with Neff even easier and more convenient than ever before, the 2005 oven range incorporates a number of unique features.

Chief amongst these is the CircoTherm® system of forced air cooking. 'Even after more than 30 years in the UK, Neff's famous CircoTherm® system remains the fastest, most even heat distribution system around. What's more, CircoTherm® guarantees excellent results whatever level of cooking expertise you have achieved to date!' says the company.

NeffLight® is the name of the new oven illumination that ensures the best possible view of what's cooking inside the oven. A powerful pair of halogen lights reflect light back into the oven via strategically placed mirrors that let you see the food on each shelf level clearly, without opening the door.

If you tend to move shelves around, then you will love FlexiRail™, Neff's new 'plug in' railing system. Individual shelf support rails allow you to vary the positioning of the shelves, according to the meal being cooked. Simply remove and rearrange for flexibility and easy cleaning in a dishwasher. On double ovens, the rails are interchangeable in both cavities. Furthermore, telescopic rails are available on some models for even greater flexibility.

Cleaning the oven is everyone's least favourite chore; that's why the experts at Neff have come up with CeramiCleanliners™ for the new oven range. Not only are they four times more effective than normal catalytic liners, but these back, roof and side liners are also manufactured to last for the oven's lifetime. CeramiClean™ is on-going and results in the permanent reduction ofsoiling. Some models in the new range also include special cleaning settings operating on the same principle as Pyrolytic cleaning but at much lower temperatures of around 270 degrees C.

For really easy programming, all Neff ovens now include the EasyClock. Simply select the clock function by pressing the button to reveal all the possibilities then programme the oven using the oval rotary control. Some top-of-the-range models also offer the ergonomically designed Revolution handle for improving the ease with which you open and close the oven door.

Neff's ovens are all designed to coordinate with each other and with other built in cooking appliances within the new collection. Each oven control panel has a balanced design with all functions positioned evenly on each side for perfect symmetry. The Neff logo has been subtly placed on the oven handle.

Furthermore, synergy is in evidence across all the built in cooking product groups, from single and double ovens and microwaves to hobs and hoods.

Geberit Fulfills Tall Order in Docklands

Canary Wharf is probably the best known symbol of the regeneration of London's Docklands. It covers over 97 acres and has been planned on a grand scale with meticulous attention to detail throughout. It provides around 13 million square feet of office and retail space to date.

One of the latest and most prestigious office buildings goes under the identity BP1 reflecting its site as being previously Blackwell Place and which will become 1 Churchill Place on completion. As befits such a project, all fixtures and fittings have been specified to the highest standards and to reflect the latest design concepts.

In particular, washrooms on each of the 33 storeys, which make BP1 one of the largest buildings in Docklands, have been installed using the top of the range Geberit Duofix frame system for wall mounted sanitaryware. M&E design consultants HH Angus, working with architects HOK, chose Geberit Duofix after detailed investigation and analysis of the benefits of this proven system. The rigidity and stability of the system were key factors in their specification with frames designed and tested to accept weighting of 400kg per section.

Reduced and simplified site work were other important reasons for choosing the Duofix system as cisterns, controls, flushing, pipework and clips all come complete with the frames, leaving only final connections, finishing tiling or panelling to be carried out on site. The frames provide versatility to allow for adjustment of waste positions etc. and ensure modern, clean lines which enhance the high quality office accommodation.

BP1 has been designed with three cores. The main services, including the washrooms, are at one end with two satellite cores which provide additional access/escape.

Tel: 01622 717811
Web: http://www.geberit.co.uk

Contented Customers… More Sales

It’s not everyday that attractive and decorative porcelain tiles, the substrate to which they are bonded and the adhesive used to apply them are asked to withstand the heavy trafficking, wear and tear subjected by tyres and vehicles. But this was exactly the specification for the new showroom flooring recently installed at Listers Chrysler Dealership in Coventry.

As if to exacerbate the situation, Listers is a very busy showroom with a high volume of visitors and a quick turnaround of the large range of Chrysler vehicles.

It is open seven days a week to the general public, who quite naturally expect a clean and smart environment and a first class presentation of such products when considering a new purchase. It was therefore a pre-requisite of the contract that the new flooring installation caused minimal inconvenience and to fulfil this requirement, all work needed to be completed in ‘double quick’ time.

Tough and fast curing flooring and adhesives products, supplied by Tamworth based manufacturer Instarmac Group plc, came up trumps on both counts.

As soon as the existing tiles had been removed, the sub-floor was levelled with Instarmac’s Ultra Concrete Floor Leveller. This polymer-modified premium levelling and smoothing compound is ideal for irregular surfaces and is suitable for application (up to 50mm thick) over standard substrates of concrete, sand/cement screeds, floor graded asphalt and in situ (but correctly prepared) tiles. Importantly, particularly for the Listers project, the compound sets in just three hours, which allowed the laying of the porcelain tiles almost immediately following the application of the levelling compound.

The tiles were applied using UltraProFlex SP, another fast curing Instarmac material. The versatile cementitious adhesive, suitable for use internally and externally on both floors and walls, combines bond strength with flexural capacity and is able to accept foot trafficking within two to three hours after application.

Tel: 01827 872244
Email: mailto:email@instarmac.co.uk
Web: http://www.instarmac.co.uk

Sanderson Launches New Chelsea Harbour Showroom

Sanderson has announced the opening of a new showroom for 2005 situated within the existing Zoffany showroom at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre.

Visitors were invited along to the showroom during its inauguration at London Design Week to see the new collections for Spring/Summer 2005

Established in 1860, Sanderson is internationally renowned in the field of interior design and decorating. The Sanderson brands are offered through retail concession stores and over 2,000 independent retailers across the UK. As a leading global brand Sanderson exports to over 70 countries worldwide.

Showroom Address:
Chelsea Harbour Design Centre
Centre Dome, Ground Floor
London
SW10 0XE
Web: http://www.sanderson-uk.com
Tel: +44 (0) 870 300 060

Jacuzzi Brands Completes Sales of Investment in Polyair and Plant

Jacuzzi Brands, Inc. announced on March 16th that the Company has completed the sale of its convertible note receivable from Polyair Inter Pack Inc. ('Polyair') for $4.625 million. The convertible note represented part of the proceeds from the May 2003 sale of its non-core swimming pool & equipment business. The Company also announced the February 2005 sale of its Plant City, Florida facility for $3.0 million. The Plant City facility was used to manufacture spas through November 2003 at which time production was relocated to the Company's new state-of-art manufacturing facility in Chino, California.

The Company will record a net gain, after tax, of $0.6 million, or $0.01 per share, as a result of these transactions in its fiscal second quarter ending April 2nd, 2005. The Company will use the net proceeds from these transactions to pay down debt.

Jacuzzi Brands, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a global manufacturer and distributor of branded bath and plumbing products for the residential, commercial and institutional markets. These include whirlpool baths, spas, showers, sanitary ware and bathtubs, as well as professional grade drainage, water control, commercial faucets and other plumbing products. The company also manufactures premium vacuum cleaner systems. The company's products are marketed under its portfolio of brand names, including JACUZZI®, SUNDANCE®, ELJER®, ZURN®, ASTRACAST® and RAINBOW®.

Web: http://www.jacuzzibrands.com

Alstons Install First Ever Hot Foil Transfer BAZ from Homag

Part of the Alstons Group, Ipswich-based Alstons Cabinets is a manufacturer of bedroom and living room furniture for the general market. The company’s widely distributed designs and styles have always been universally popular and distributed through a variety of independent and other specialists outlets including household name mail order firms.

Current Managing Director of Alstons Cabinets, John Alston took over in 1998 - one in a long line of family members dating back over two centuries. John Alston's significant contribution has been to strategically invest in flexible and volume production equipment of the highest order which has been central to Alstons now occupying the slot of Britain's largest bedroom furniture manufacturer.

John Alston adheres to strict, self-imposed policy guidelines when investing in high capital production equipment. His research is meticulous and he seeks out technical partners at the forefront of their field and internationally established.
Consequently the Homag Group of companies have featured strongly in the high-tech Alstons factory over the years and, significantly, on two occasions when Alstons made landmark investments in new technologies that were the first of their type installed in the UK. The first of these, a few years ago, was the Homag Powerline production system for producing finished softformed panels at speeds never before attempted. This involved the ambitious use of Mechatronic control systems, significantly fast feeding and off-stacking automation and many other breakthrough technologies.

Now Alstons has moved tangentially with another first-in-the-UK machine from the Homag Group. This time a Homag CNC BAZ stationary processing centre with a hot foil transfer application head for contoured and profiled workpiece edges.

Alstons Factory Manager Malcolm Curtis explains the benefits of the investment: ‘When our new 2005 range was being planned, our designers were calling for a greater degree of scope for shaped parts from production while not inhibiting volumes or creating bottle necks. Hot foil transfer material gives us particular aesthetic and performance advantages for many of our product edges - particularly where we need to perfectly match the laminated surface foil on the face of the MDF substrate with a seamless and identical edge that gives the real impression of a solid and substantial piece of natural timber’ he explains. ‘With this machine we are achieving this at volume and currently requisite levels.’

John Alston had been investigating the advantages of the CNC stationary processing concept for some time. Unlike most of Alstons' machines and lines which are along the concept of volume throughfeed and large batch runs, this process involves a single component clamping for a number of operations - panel shaping and routing, drilling in all axes, grooving and contour edging.

Alstons' took prototype components to a number of machine manufacturers but only through working with Homag U.K.'s Keith Hack were they able to find a process that would cope with some of the tighter radii that the company’s designs demanded.

Alstons' confidence in dealing with the Homag Group and Homag U.K. in particular rests both with their worldwide shared technical knowledge and integration of systems (including direct machine diagnostics, monitoring and other support), as well as the highly developed after-sales, engineering and back-up support that is a feature of Homag U.K.

The highly capable operators training programme was also a factor in the final decision.

The Homag BAZ now in operation - apart from the special hot foil transfer application head - also has an interchangeable conventional edging application head for tapes up to 3mm thick. It features a clamping table with LED positioning of the vacuum cups and offers a tandem loading capability for enhanced output.

The shaping, profiling and hot foil transfer process involves first milling the contours on the pre-clamped panel and then cutting the required profile around the edge. A high pressure air nozzle then follows the tool path to ensure a totally clean surface for the foil. The foil itself is unloaded from the ‘new’ spool onto and ‘off-take’ spool and in between applied to the edge of the panel by a pressurised, heated roller which transfers and exact surface area of foil to the area of application. The result is a perfect, seamless and high quality edge on panels that will have a major part in enhancing the aesthetics and visual distinction of the final Alstons product.

Malcolm Curtis is very enthusiastic with the new technology: ‘Our operators have taken to it with ease and as we learn more about its capabilities and the fine tuning of the programming we will be able to pass these benefits on to the design teams. It's a winning investment for the whole company and I can see us quickly outstripping its capacity and looking to add another at some time.’

Tel: 01332 856500
Email: mailto:sales@homag-uk.co.uk
Web: http://www.homag-uk.co.uk

Electrolux Board Proposes Performance-Based Long-Term Incentive Programme

The Board of Directors of AB Electrolux has decided to propose that the Annual General Meeting on April 20th, 2005, approves a performance-based long-term share programme, substantially identical to the programme approved for 2004. The programme covers less than 200 senior managers and key employees.

The proposed programme is based on value-creation targets for the Group that are established by the Board of Directors, and involves an allocation of shares if these targets have been reached or exceeded after a three-year period. The programme comprises B-shares.

Participants are permitted to sell allocated shares to cover personal income tax, but the remaining shares must be held for two years. The cost of the programme is comparable to the cost of previous stock-option programmes and share programme.

The programme is in line with Electrolux principles for remuneration based on performance, and is an integral part of the total compensation for the Group's senior managers and key employees. The Board of Directors considers that the programme will benefit the company's shareholders and also facilitate recruitment and retention of competent employees.

Conditions for allocation of shares
Allocation of shares under the programme is determined on the basis of three levels of value creation, calculated according to the Group's definition of this concept. The three levels are 'entry', 'target' and 'stretch'. 'Entry' is the minimum level that must be reached to enable allocation. 'stretch' is the maximum level for allocation and may not be exceeded regardless of the value created during the period.

The number of shares allocated at 'stretch' will be 50% greater than at 'target'. The shares will be allocated after the three-year period and will be free of charge. Participants in the programme comprise five groups - the President, other members of Group management, and three groups of other senior managers and key employees.

The Board of Directors will determine a target value in SEK for each group, with reference to position and remuneration level. For the President, the target value is SEK 2,400,000, for other members of Group management SEK 1,200,000, and for other senior officers and key employees not less than SEK 450,000 and not more than SEK 900,000 respectively. The sum of the target values for all participants will not exceed SEK 120m.

Each target value will subsequently be converted into a number of shares. The number of shares will be based on the average closing price of the Electrolux B-share on the Stockholm Exchange during a period of ten trading days before the day participants are invited to the program, reduced by the present value of estimated dividend payments for the period until shares are allotted. It is intended that participants will be invited to take part in the programme no later than June 30th, 2005.

Cost and dilution
If value created is at the 'target' level, the cost of the programme is estimated at approximately SEK 165m, including employer contributions and the financing cost for repurchase of own shares. If value created equals or exceeds the 'stretch' level, the cost is estimated at a maximum of SEK 267m.

The share programme is expected to result in a maximum dilution of approximately 0.51%, calculated as the maximum increase in the number of shares. The total dilution effect of the proposed share programme for 2005, together with the share programme for 2004 and the stock-option programmes for 2000-2003, will not exceed approximately 3.86%.

Proposal for resolution on repurchase and transfer of own shares
The Board of Directors has decided to propose that the Annual General Meeting on April 20th, 2005, as in previous years, approve a new programme for repurchase of A- and/or B-shares during the period prior to the Annual General Meeting in 2006.

The purpose of the repurchase programme is to continuously enable adaptation of the Group's capital structure, thus contributing to increased shareholder value. Electrolux should also be able to use repurchased shares in connection with financing of potential acquisitions as well as the option programmes for 2000-2003, the share programme for 2004 and the new proposed share programme for 2005.

The company may repurchase shares in an amount such that, following each purchase, the company holds a maximum of 10% of the total number of shares in the company. Purchases may be made only through transactions on the Stockholm Stock Exchange at a price per share within the prevailing
registered price interval.As of March 7th, 2005, Electrolux held 17,739,400 B-shares, corresponding to 5.7% of the total number of outstanding shares. With reference to the current holding of own shares, a maximum of 13,152,631 shares may be repurchased. On the basis of the Group's financial statements for 2004 and the closing price for B-shares on March 7th, 2005, repurchase of this number of shares would result in an increase in net income per share from SEK 10.55 to SEK 10.85, and an increase in return on equity from 12.7% to 13.8%.

Transfer of own shares
The Board of Directors has also decided to propose that the Annual General Meeting, as in previous years, authorise the Board to transfer own A- and B-shares in connection with company acquisitions, during the period up until the Annual General Meeting in 2006. Transfers may be implemented with deviation from the shareholders' preferential rights. In addition, transfers shall be made at a minimum price per share that corresponds to an amount in close connection with the price of A- or B-shares on the Stockholm Exchange at the time of the decision on the transfer. Payment for transferred shares may be made in cash, by contributions in kind, or by offsetting company debt.

The Board of Directors will also propose that the Annual General Meeting authorise transfer of repurchased own B-shares. The purpose is to implement the proposed share programme 2005 in a cost-efficient and flexible manner, to fulfill the obligation to deliver shares under the programme, as well as to cover costs that may arise as a result of the previous employee stock-option programmes for 2000-2003. A maximum of 1,500,000 B-shares may be transferred free of charge to the participants in the proposed share programme. During the period prior to the next Annual General Meeting, a maximum of 1,107,235 B-shares may be transferred on the Stockholm Exchange at current market price in order to cover future costs of the employee stock option programmes for 2000-2003. These costs refer primarily to employer contributions.

Web: http://www.electrolux.com