My first automatic collection piece...

[hotpointwfwt02]

Jacob

Indesit bought 1/2 of Hotpoint on 21 December 2001 and Hotpoints were always made in Wales and during the WMA era the Hotpoints from 2002 onwards were indesit aka merloni owned.

 

[supermaticjames]

Janak,

One thing I absolutely loath is when people call out others like you did with Jacob.

Wales is part of Great Britain therefore you were both right about where Hotpoint washing machines were manufactured. All machines - 18 series, 95 series, WM series, WMA series and subsequent were manufactured there until 2009 when production was moved entirely to Italy and as far as I'm aware Poland.

As for the takeover of Hotpoint, yes Indesit (Merloni Elettrodomestici) bought a 50% share in 2001 but the full takeover didn't happen until 2005. The WMA series was not a Merloni design and they were produced by Hotpoint in the UK and under their own control - Merloni basically just ran off with the profits until the full takeover and the first Merloni influenced design was introduced - the WF series.

It pays to do your research,

James

 

[supermaticjames]

*full takeover happened in 2004.

 

[liberatordeluxe]

I thought Hotpoint were made in Peterborough? I briefly owned a Hotpoint 95 series machine and it had Hotpoint, Peterborough Limited unless that was where Head Office was and not the production plant. Real shame we don't make Hotpoint anymore.

 

[liberatordeluxe]

Sorry typing error, it had Hotpoint Limited Peterborough Great Britain on the back of the cabinet.

 

[aquacycle]

Real shame we don't make Hotpoint anymore

It's a shame we don't make anything anymore. It'll be interesting to see if Ebac pull it out of the bag when they launch in September - it's all well and good being made in England, but if the product is rubbish it has no chance.

 

[supermaticjames]

@liberatordeluxe

Hotpoint head office was in Peterborough where some appliances were built but the washing machines were built in Wales since the 1970s as far as I know.

@aquacycle

I'm also eager to see how Ebac get on in a market that's swimming with Hotpoint/Indesit, Hoover/Candy and Beko but it will "all come out in the wash" I guess.