Why the price of household electrical appliances is rising in France

Small household electrical appliances are significantly more expensive in France this year compared to last year as a result of rising production costs.

The price hikes have affected coffee machines the most, with the devices 17.2% more expensive on average this year compared to last, TF1 reports. It means a product bought for €70 last year would cost €82 this year.

Toasters are 13.7% more expensive on average, while the prices of printers are up 9.8%, the news outlet states.

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Henry Grimaud, head of the home appliances section at tech and gadget media outlet Les Numériques, said the hikes are due to the rising cost of raw materials.

“For a kettle, what increases will be the price of the glass, the price of the aluminium and the small components,” he said.

The availability of these materials has been significantly affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, with both countries major suppliers of raw materials to Europe.

Another element in the cost is transport.

“Many of these products have been manufactured in China in factories on the other side of the world, which explains why they are more and more expensive as the cost of transport has increased considerably in recent years," Mr Grimaud said.

It costs around €10,000 to transport a shipping container of electrical appliances from China this year, compared to around €1,500 last year.

This can be explained by the fact that supply chains have become overwhelmed in the past year, caused by pent up demand created when international borders were closed at the height of the Covid pandemic.

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The increased prices have led to many people in France turning to second-hand goods or to repair shops.

Jean-Claude Crétien, a repairman, said he has had 30% more business this year.

"Now we realise that it is perhaps better to buy slightly more expensive products made in Europe or in France so that we can repair them afterwards,” he said.

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