Best Buy Brings Back Maytag Lineup After Two-Year Absence

BENTON HARBOR, MICH. — Whirlpool will place a full line of Maytag-branded appliances in all U.S. Best Buy stores next month, marking the first time that the brand's appliances will be sold by the retailer in more than two years.

Maytag-branded appliances exited Best Buy stores in the first quarter of 2005 due to low sales. At the time it was reported that Maytag's majap sales at the No. 4 major appliance retailer accounted for only about 1 percent of the manufacturer's consolidated revenue in 2004.

The Maytag brand has since been acquired by Whirlpool. Its new parent company has been making significant moves to revive the 100-year-old brand including launching new products and re-casting the role of its iconic 'Ol Lonely spokesman (see story, right).

According to a statement, both companies are citing the recent decision to bring the brand back to Best Buy as a reflection of Maytag's "revitalized strength as well as its 100-year-old tradition of quality and dependability."

In an e-mail to TWICE, a Best Buy spokesperson clarified the decision.

"We decided to add Maytag based on Whirlpool Corporation's acquisition and the company's commitment [to] make Maytag a solution that our customers will respond to," he said.

The retailer's new Maytag offerings are expected to include a full range of open-line items from the laundry, cooking, dishwashing and refrigeration categories. According to the spokesperson, the announcement of Maytag's return does not necessarily mean that other products or brands will be eliminated from Best Buy sales floors to accommodate the product influx. "How the Maytag products are incorporated into the stores will vary depending on the store size and layout," he said.