Sears to no longer carry Whirlpool brand appliances
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on October 29, 2017 1:45 AM
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News-Argus/ROCHELLE MOORE
The Sears Holdings Corp. is ending its century-old partnership with Whirlpool and will no longer sell the brand appliances at Sears stores.
Whirlpool products, including those of its subsidiaries Maytag, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air, within the range of appliances and small kitchen appliances, will no longer be added inside stores, after the two companies failed to reach a contract agreement in May.
Sears employees were notified of the change in a company letter last week, said Howard Riefs, company spokesman.
"After this date, we will only sell Whirlpool products that are housed in a Sears facility until all inventory is depleted," according to the company letter.
Sears executives noted the failed negotiation with Whirlpool in its company notice.
"Whirlpool has sought to use its dominant position in the marketplace to make demands that would have prohibited us from offering Whirlpool products to our members at a reasonable price," the notice states.
Sears stores, including the Goldsboro location at the Berkeley Mall, at 625 N. Berkeley Blvd., will continue to sell Kenmore appliances as well as LG, Samsung, GE, Frigidaire, Electrolux, and Bosch products.
The decision by the Whirlpool Corp. to no longer provide products to Sears stores was made in May and became effective Friday, said Kristine Sherman, Whirlpool Corp. spokesperson.
"Whirlpool competes in a very dynamic and competitive marketplace," Sherman said. "We were very disappointed to see recent statements which falsely characterized Whirlpool's actions as being attributed to a single issue or an abuse of our market position.
"This decision was made thoughtfully and in appreciation of our 100-year relationship with Sears. We continued negotiations, and have been unable to reach agreement on terms."
The Whirlpool Corp. regularly negotiates with trade customers, including Sears Holdings Corp., regarding supply arrangements for future periods. Whirlpool's business with Sears represents approximately 1 percent of the company's global sales. Kenmore-branded appliances, which represents 2 percent of Whirlpool's sales globally, will continue to be sold at Sears stores, Sherman said.