The spring/summer 2012 lines of products from household appliance manufacturer Russell Hobbs and from personal care appliance manufacturers Remington has been launched by Miller Distributors.

The two brands are actually part of the same company, US-based Spectrum Brands, which acquired Remington in 2003 and Russell Hobbs seven years later. The brands’ separate identities, however, have been maintained.

“Remington and Russell Hobbs’ high technology and its determination to be at the forefront of innovation is highly significant and a pleasure to introduce to the increasingly demanding Maltese market,” Emma Miller, marketing manager for both brands in Malta, said.

Russell Hobbs’ headquarters remain in the UK, where it had been founded in 1952. The company made a name for itself after inventing what is now a ubiquitous kitchen item – the electric kettle.

It manufactures a number of household appliances, with a particular focus on those used in the kitchen. Its product line includes toasters, coffee makers, irons, vacuum cleaners, and food blenders.

Russell Hobbs pays particular attention to the design of products, as well as their reliability and innovation. At the launch, representative Birgit Fichtner noted that customers increasingly wanted a trendy kitchen, and the design of such appliances had a part to play in this.

Remington’s history dates back to 1816, but only started producing personal care products in 1937, when it released its first electric shaver. The brand is now entirely devoted to personal care, focusing on grooming, haircare, hair removal and shaving.

This year’s product line includes the innovative i-Light Pro body hair remover, a handheld device which uses the same technology employed in professional clinics and beauty salons – intense pulsed light (IPL) – for lasting hair removal.

IPL involves the use of a xenon flash lamp and focusing optics to emit light energy. This energy is absorbed by the melanin in hair follicles below the skin’s surface and suppresses hair growth. Hair will subsequently fall out in approximately two weeks.

The i-Light Pro can be used by men and women to remove body hair on legs, arms, underarms, bikini line, back, chest and shoulders.