Businesses reluctant to invest in new refrigerators

We enjoy a cold drink or a beer in the summer. Of course, good refrigerators are needed to cool our drinks. Unfortunately, many bars and restaurants forget to invest in these. Sales of refrigerators showed a decline in the first half of the year. This is partly due to the stagnation of business and partly to the reduction in new investment. Most entrepreneurs are waiting to see how tax and other regulations will change and prefer to keep using older machines, instead of investing in new equipment. As György Béky from Thermotechnika has told us, they have signed an agreement on co-operation with their subsidiaries and affiliated businesses to help them in adapting to global processes and to the shrinking Hungarian market. TC Thermotechnika CrownCool Európai Gazdasági Érdekeltségű Társaság will pursue a co-ordinated market strategy and will present a new, uniform image in the future. In addition to kitchen refrigerators, they also supply refrigerating equipment to food stores, for beer taps and for beverages. Hussmann Kft. primarily sells and installs refrigerating equipment for food stores. Large stores use tenders to push prices down, as they are far more interested in price and energy consumption than aesthetics. As they have specialised in energy saving systems, they are optimistic regarding the future. A positive example mentioned is this year’s tender by Tesco, where not only anticipated energy consumption was taken into consideration, but suppliers were required to install meters on their systems for monitoring actual consumption. – Bonero Kft. which has a 10 per cent market share, sells a wide range of models from 400 litre to 1,400 litre capacity and also supply mini refrigerators for hotels and wine coolers. As bar owners always defer their purchases till the last moment, equipment appropriate for the season needs to be kept in stock at all times. They can deliver the most popular sizes (400–700 litres) immediately. According to EU regulations, refrigerators which did not comply with HACCP standards had to be replaced, as refrigerators are the most essential pieces of equipment found in kitchens. Cold Systems Kft. also specialises in refrigerators for retailers of food. They provide planning and consulting services as well. Their systems can be seen in stores of the Csemege Match Zrt. chain and in CBA stores. They also supply MOL petrol station shops with small refrigerators for sandwiches. Like most of their competitors, the majority of their products are imported, which makes them sensitive to changes in the exchange rate of the HUF.