Whirlpool Posts Higher Q2 Profits

By Alan Wolf On Aug 6 2012 - 4:01am

BENTON HARBOR, MICH. – A richer mix of higher-priced products, particularly in North America, helped lift Whirlpool’s second quarter net earnings.

Profits for the three months, ended June 30, were $113 million, compared with a year-ago net loss of $161 million, aided also by continued cost reductions and plant rationalization.

 

 

Electrolux Q2 Sales, Earnings Surge

By Alan Wolf On Aug 6 2012 - 4:01am

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – Price hikes within its North America segment helped lift Electrolux’s second-quarter results.

Net sales for the Swedish majap maker rose 15 percent, to 27.8 billion kronor, while net income increased 30 percent, to 763 million kronor, for the three months, ended June 30.

Earnings continued to be impacted by higher raw material costs but were offset by improved operational efficiency, the company said.

Appliance Briefs

By TWICE Staff On Jun 4 2012 - 4:01am

Best Buy Creates Cookware Site

GE Follows Fridge On 2,000-Mile Road Trip

By Alan Wolf On Jul 2 2012 - 4:01am

LOUISVILLE, KY. – GE is underscoring the capability of its new French door fridge line by chronicling one SKU’s 2,000-mile journey to carry fresh food from Kentucky to Texas.

The unit and a generator were strapped to the back of a pickup truck at GE’s new refrigeration plant, here, and driven to a remote location outside Austin, Texas, where celebrity chef Ben Sargent (The Cooking Channel) and GE engineer Justin Berger served up a surprise meal in the field to wildlife biologist Ron Thompson.

LG Launches 'Turbo' Washer At Celebrity Charity Event

By Alan Wolf On Jul 2 2012 - 4:01am

LOS ANGELES – LG Electronics formally launched its new high-capacity TurboWash washer at a celebrity-filled charity event here last month co-hosted by actress Christina Applegate.

The fundraiser benefitted Appelgate’s Right Action for Women (RAW), a charitable services fund that helps remove the financial obstacles some women face when accessing breast cancer screenings.

Home Depot Is Expanding Its Majaps Business

By Alan Wolf On Jul 16 2012 - 4:01am

ATLANTA – No. 3 majap chain The Home Depot is adding Whirlpool, Electrolux and Frigidaire to its brand roster and will expand its appliance departments in select stores in a major bid to grow market share.

The new brands, and the expanded 2,400-squarefoot majap showrooms, will roll out to 120 locations nationwide by mid-fourth quarter. According to Bob Baird, Home Depot’s appliances and kitchens merchandising VP, the first department remodels will begin appearing this summer.

Korean Washers Subject To Interim Import Duties

By Alan Wolf On Jun 4 2012 - 4:01am

WASHINGTON – Daewoo and Samsung will be required to post cash deposits on imported clothes washers while the federal government considers whether to impose permanent duties on the products, the U.S. Commerce Department said.

The deposits will cover estimated duties while the agency and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) determine whether manufacturer subsidies from the South Korean government harm the U.S. appliance industry.

WhirlpoolDetails SalesForce Shakeup

By Alan Wolf On Mar 26 2012 - 4:01am

ORLANDO, FLA. – Last month’s restructuring of Whirlpool’s U.S. sales force moved it from a channel-based to a territory-based organization.

Whirlpool buying group director Mark Hecht explained to independent dealers during a briefing at MEGA Group USA’s national meeting here last week that the move combined the manufacturer’s retail sales team with the contract and builder channel group.

On the local level one person will head up a combined sales team within each market, he said.

Luxury Cooking Products Heat Up The Architectural Digest Show

By Alan Wolf On Apr 9 2012 - 4:01am

NEW YORK – Major appliances made a strong showing at last month’s 11th annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show (ADHDS), one of the country’s largest exhibits of luxury home products.

A contingent of premium majap manufacturers including Jenn-Air, Sub-Zero/Wolf and U-Line, and distributors Almo and Eastern Marketing, joined a list of 400 exhibitors at Manhattan’s Pier 94 show space, which was expected to draw some 40,000 consumers, designers, architects and majap dealers.

Almo, Climatic To Share Sharp Majap Distribution Effort

By Alan Wolf On Apr 9 2012 - 4:01am

MAHWAH, N.J. – Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America (SEMCA) has consolidated distribution of its cooking and home-comfort lines down to two distributors within the independent retail channel.

Philadelphia-based Almo, which currently carries Sharp’s Insight line of steam, convection and built-in and drawer-style microwave ovens in the Northeast, will expand its footprint coast-to-coast, serving nearly every state outside of the Southeast.