Parade of Homes

FALL 2023 PARADE of HOMES 27 Kraig Bradley has been working with builders and clients at The Brick for more than 25 years. A senior sales consultant, he appreciates being able to provide customers with valued products and information about anything they want to know regarding home appliances. Bargain-hunting Winnipeggers like a bang for their buck, and for those building a dream home within a budget, Bradley en- joys seeing that come to fruition. "There's a lot more options than the Canadian public knows. We are fo- cused on saving you more," he says. "That's what I enjoy the most: being able to bring that to clients and customers." Midnorthern Appliance, a banner within The Brick Commercial Divi- sion, specializes in widely ranging ap- pliance products. The Brick has been in operation since 1971 and now has more than 200 stores and over 5,000 employees. That translates into an abundance of selection but, as with many other areas of life, being well-or- ganized is key. For Bradley, planning ahead is a priority when deciding on appliances for your home. "We need to have the specs for what you want in your kitchen, purchas- ing with enough lead time to make sure everything is here. Not every- thing is in stock, and many items and specialty packages have to be ordered in," he says. "The pandemic has most definitely affected us. There are component issues in the manufacturing with some brands. There are still issues with parts, teaming up with differ- ent distributors around the world. Our biggest thing is forecasting to have product here in time." The array of home appliances to choose from is vast, and be- yond being functional and attractive, they can be intelligent too. Appliances with Wi-Fi capability now make up about 70 per cent of new home appliances. "It's the way of the future. In the last five to six years, we've seen the most changes. With Wi-Fi, you have the capability of preheating the oven from wherever you are before you get home or you can turn off the oven from the couch. Most major brands have that capability," says Bradley, about the ability for users to monitor appliances via a smartphone app. "Samsung is probably one brand that is truly a smart appliance brand. If you want a smart product, they've got it. Others are right there behind them." " Planning ahead is a priority when deciding on appliances for your home." – KRAIG BRADLEY The array of home appliances to choose from is vast, and beyond being functional and attractive, they can be intelligent too.

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