When it comes to essential fixtures and fittings for bathrooms, the most common are tubs and taps. But now there is a new must-have emerging: a mini fridge.<\/p>\n
Used to store everything from beauty products to GLP-1 medication, the growing demand reflects a wider trend in how the wellness industry and weight-loss drugs<\/a> are reshaping homes.<\/p>\n Emma Lewis, the marketing manager for Sub-Zero & Wolf, a luxury cooling appliance manufacturer in Essex, said the company had seen a tenfold increase in demand for mini fridges over the past two years.<\/p>\n Clients have requested they be installed everywhere from en suites to walk-in wardrobes to home offices.<\/p>\n Lewis described mini fridges as \u201cbeverage centres\u201d, noting they were originally used to chill drinks in at-home bars and gyms. But she said nowadays they were more likely to house face creams, jars of supplements, gut health shots and injectables.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is more convenient to have products to hand in say a bathroom rather than having to walk to a kitchen fridge,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cThat sense of ease is really what people want.\u201d<\/p>\n At Sub-Zero & Wolf, prices start from a whopping \u00a35,000, but the trend is not limited to high-end spenders. On the secondhand retail site Gumtree, where the average mini fridge costs \u00a345, searches rose by 85% from January to June.<\/p>\n Smeg sells a 38-litre compact version of its trademark retro style for \u00a3899, while online marketplaces are peppered with colourful versions and even mirrored options for less than \u00a330.<\/p>\n Smeg\u2019s mini fridge. Photograph: Smeg<\/p>\n Gumtree\u2019s chief executive, Nav Dhillon, says mini fridges were \u201cmoving beyond student halls and hotel rooms to become a lifestyle purchase\u201d with warmer weather further driving demand.<\/p>\n