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Exhibitors Move Offsite During K/BIS

CHICAGO –

Majap exhibitors continued to eschew last
month’s Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (K/BIS), while some,
including Whirlpool, GE and Sears, used their permanent
facilities to showcase new products during exhibit week.

Whirlpool unveiled a raft of new majaps at its World of
Whirlpool business facility here last month, including the
newley launched Ice kitchen collection. The contemporary
suite includes refrigerators, wall ovens, ranges and dishwashers
in white and black finishes, the latter with metallic
details. Both are accented with stainless steel, including
new elegantly designed, user-friendly handles. Other new
design elements include subtle, intuitive graphics and
larger oven windows to meet homeowners’ needs for increased
visibility, the company said.

Sears used its Kenmore Craftsman Live Experience
showroom and studio here to highlight its Kenmore Elite
electric freestanding double oven (starting at $1,999) and
new slide-in range (starting
at $2,499), both with dual
3.5-cubic-foot cavities
and available in stainless,
white and black. Sears
also unveiled a 31-cubicfoot
Grab-N-Go Trio addition
to its Kenmore Signature
refrigeration line
that provides a separate
push-button compartment
for most frequently used
items. Suggested retail:
$3,299.

GE moved even further offsite,
using its Monogram Design Center
in New York to showcase its
new generation of French door
refrigerators. A GE Profile model,
shipping this summer, features a
hands-free water dispenser that
is set into the door with an elegant
“flowing water” design and
can accurately top off or fill containers
to a pre-determined level.
A GE Café version, set to ship this fall, can also dispense
heated water, an industry first.

Both offer an advanced filtration system that can remove
98 percent of five trace pharmaceuticals from drinking
water and ice, plus twin-chill evaporators for separate
airflow and temperature and humidity levels in the fresh
food and freezer sections. The fridges will be available
in 27- and 29-cubic-foot capacities at a suggested retail
range of $1,700 to $3,000.

Not all majap makers moved offsite. Sub-Zero/Wolf returned
to K/BIS with an expanded presence following a
three-year absence to showcase its new steam convection
oven, black glass E-series 30-inch double and single
wall ovens, and a built-in French door fridge in 42- and
48-inch widths.

Other appliance exhibitors at Chicago’s McCormick Place
facility included premium manufacturers AGA Marvel, Bertazzoni,
Capital Cooking, Dacor and Liebherr, as well as the
specialty appliance division of distributor Almo.

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