Appliance Briefs

Sears’ major appliance suppliers are standing fast with the ailing chain, even as its losses continue to mount. In a rare commentary that accompanied the company’s fourth-quarter earnings results, Sears chairman/CEO Eddie Lampert said the retailer continues to enjoy strong partnerships with its white-goods vendors, “despite speculation and reports to the contrary.” To underscore the point, he indicated that Sears has negotiated contracts with all three major OEMs for its private-label Kenmore appliance line through the end of 2018, and cited last fall’s introduction of the premium Kenmore Pro kitchen suite as evidence of Sears’ continued leadership in the category … Conn’s reported essentially flat white-goods comp sales in February. Comps edged up 0.4 percent, which trailed same-store sales of furniture and mattress, up 12.2 percent, but exceeded CE comps, which declined nearly 5 percent … New Age Electronics, the national CE, IT and gaming distributor, has expanded its countertop appliance offering with the addition of Kalorik. Under the new partnership, New Age will serve as the primary U.S. distributor for Kalorik’s line of food-preparation products, food processors, juicers, kitchen scales, mixers, slow cookers, toasters, water kettles and assorted kitchen gadgets.