What will happen to Kenmore Appliances?

[brainardcooper]

With the certain demise of Sears (as we know it), what will happen to the Kenmore Brand of home appliances? I was in Ft. Lauderdale for New Years and needed a pair of shoes, so I decided I would go to Sears. What a mistake. It was an awful experience. However, I looked in the store and there was no appliance section and I wondered what will happen if/when Sears ultimately fails? Will Kenmore become a thing of the past? Any ideas?

 

[yogitunes]

Kenmore died long ago....

there is no more Kenmore brand, and hasn't been for the past 10+ years...

the Kenmore 'name' is nothing more than a bumper sticker pasted on anything they can find...

a majority of Kenmore, washer/dryer for example, was FSP/Whirlpool sourced, whether belt drive or DD...and usually with a kick up on features not available on any other machine a/k/a Kenmore Exclusive....there were a few oddities added in, but nothing like today....

today, you take something like a LG or Samsung, slap that sticker on it, and people believe its a Kenmore...nothing different based on the machines actual label...

sad though, Sears used to be the place to go for anything and everything....now its the place to avoid at all cost....

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

So, yes, there’s no point in being sentimental...

I mean, with the disposable quality of even the last time anything got branded as such when anything was last in its prime, there was the onslaught of there probably even being no repairmen for...

As with a lot of brands yes longer existing and soon to be many more that also will yes longer exist (and God knows who or what will replace them, name-wise) there won’t be the quality, so who needs
what 100-years from now is going to replace?

— Dave

 

[joeekaitis]

Lowe's got Craftsman . . .

 

Maybe Home Depot will get Kenmore.  Or as the major Kenmore OEM and possible heir of the trademark, Whirlpool would be able to advertise:

 

Kenmore

In More Homes Than Any Other Brand

Now In More Places To Buy

 

Just one of many possibilities.

 

[mattl]

I don't know...

To us here, Kenmore is only a historical name, once well regarded but now bastardized. But to the unknowing general public it may still have some value.  I would not be surprised to see it pop up somewhere, odds are in name only, plastered on cheap generic products, much like RCA, Sylvania and dozens of other legacy names have done.

 

[DADoES]

 
Sears/Kenmore products (including small kitchen appliances, electronics, and such) have always been sourced from other manufacturers, nothing new about that.

 

[gansky1]

Kenmore - Only At Lowe's

Lowe's might be a good candidate for making Kenmore their own house-brand. They are currently the largest (or nearly) retailer for Whirlpool appliances and could source Kenmore exclusively, providing consistency and predictability for customers. They have the potential sales numbers to develop and commission brand-only features similar to what Sears did with KM.

A big problem for anyone who acquired the name is, as Martin pointed out, there is a lot of crap with the KM sticker already on it that would need to be supported through end of warranty period, parts-availability requirements etc. Another problem, probably the biggest, is service and support after the sale for a new, exclusive line. Sears had that infrastructure in place for decades, no matter the manufacturer. Lowe's or _______ would need to build that, a huge undertaking and likely a large initial outlay of capital. They could contract the supply and in- field work out to a third party, which may cause (more) customer confusion and headaches.

Perhaps the best thing in the long run would be to sell the Kenmore name off to a foreign company, for cheap. Then at least we'll still have a sense of sentimental angst everytime we see dorm refrigerators, disposable toasters and blenders and hotplates at WalMart.

 

[kb0nes]

Craftsman was acquired by Stanley/Black & Decker so their tools are available from many more retailers then just Lowes.

The Craftsman name was likely the most valuable piece of the previous Sears empire, which explains why it went first. But in my opinion Craftsman tools have been lacking in quality for a couple decades, I stopped buying from them in the 90's.

So the question that remains is to whom and if the Kenmore and Die Hard names will ever go. But alas they are only names that were slapped onto products sourced elsewhere, but they do have some recognition still.

 

[rp2813]

The Way I See It . . .

Lowe's isn't in the financial shape required to take on full responsibility for the Kenmore brand as Sears has done over the past several decades. 

 

The Lowe's nearest me will close for good at the end of this month.  It's among other stores Lowe's is closing under their current CEO's leadership.  Shedding the Orchard Supply Hardware operation wasn't enough for him.

 

[gusherb]

Not surprised at the direction Lowes is headed, they've failed to compete on price for years now and their selection has dwindled. I don't think Kenmore would be a good fit for them, I'm not quite sure who would be, maybe a manufacturer itself. 

 

[fan-of-fans]

Seeing how Amazon is what Sears could and should have been, it would seem fitting for them to take over the Kenmore brand and the repair services. BUT, I don't think Amazon has much interest in selling appliances, and it would require them to design an infrastructure more involved than being just a distribution company. It would probably also probably require them to open some kind of showrooms which would likely cost more than they would want to invest.

But it would certainly open another realm of possibility for Amazon to be a do-it-all company, just like Sears once was, but modernized.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Also I don't know that much would be lost if Kenmore goes away. As mentioned, many of the appliances are rebadged of others and I don't know if there is much customization added for Sears like there used to be. I remember looking at Kenmore and Whirpool refrigerators side by side just before Sears had stopped selling Whirlpool (but yet Whirpool continues to make Kenmore appliances to this day), and saw no difference between the two.

As for the small appliances I get the idea that they are likely a Frigidaire/Electrolux produced item. The designs on those DO seem to be unique to Sears.

It wouldn't surprise me since Cleva took over vacuum manufacturing if they start selling the Kenmore vacuums under a different brand after Sears is gone. They already do sell some older Kenmore designs that were discontinued under the Titan brand. And in December, started seeing Kenmore vacuums on QVC, same ones as at Sears but just with different colors, and also on Walmart.com.

I could see the DieHard name possibly being adoped by places like Tire Kingdom, as a store brand of tires or other automotive products.

 

[rp2813]

Lowe's ads claim they sell more major appliances than any other retailer.  Maybe Lowe's should just become an appliance big box store.  Then maybe reviving the Kenmore concept could work out for them. 

 

 

 

[jamiel]

I'm in the market for a new stove (my beloved thermo-convection Thermador died a week ago) so have been scheming to see what's out there. Not much choice given that I've got a color limitation (need white enamel; would love a deluxe oven with a coil cooktop but know that's not gonna happen). Had noticed a high-end KM Elite at one of the local outlet stores (Novi-a former Great Indoors where we've dropped some coin) for $999 new or $923 floor model. I'm still a K-Mart shopper (more to keep them in business than of any love for K-Mart, but despite glimmers there's one near us and they've been doing some silly "buy $10 get $5 deals-- it's still pretty bleak). This outlet store was DIRE. I was literally the only customer for 20 minutes...an entirely depressing experience. I'd read that this was a ELUX-sourced unit. The floor damage wasn't completely disqualifying (dented side of backsplash, dented back access panel) but the entire experience was so dispiriting, I just left in sadness. The store was filled with appliances, random racks of clothes and a collection of Chinese cra##. (It had no "thrill of the hunt--I actually enjoy shopping at a Big Lots/Ollies type store and seeing what failed in the marketplace) Novi is a pretty nouveau upscale shopping area (they didn't put Great Indoors near grade B malls) so it just screams "we give up". Farewell, Sears of the past. It was nice knowing you.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I think all of the news of closures over the last few years has done them in. People either don't realize Sears is still in business in their area, or if they do, who wants to buy something with a big possibility of no warranty support? So any appliance purchases are going to HD, Lowes or appliance stores, or anybody but Sears that comes to mind for appliances.

 

[vacerator]

Jaime L.,

be careful on selecting a Kenmore Elite range. While a few are made by GE, and are excellent cooking appliances, some are also made by Frigidaire, and lesser quality.
My step daughters Kenmore convection gas oven does not bake as well as our 2007 vintage GE Profile dual fuel built in range.

 

[jamiel]

Thanks for the warning...I'm leaning toward WP family but may just toss a used stove in there for the moment.

 

[lowefficiency]

>> People either don't realize Sears is still in business in their area, or if they do, who wants to buy something with a big possibility of no warranty support?

We thought the same thing when we were shopping for a replacement cooktop last year after ours cracked. We looked once, but didn't even really consider a Sears product due to the concerns of warranty repairs or parts.

Then, however, our one and only local Sears store closed. We went in on the last day, to see if they had any deals on tools, and ended up walking out with a brand new $750 Kenmore cooktop for something silly like $100. And we seriously considered buying the $2500 cooktop for $500 instead, and busting up our counter and cabinets to make it fit. Kenmore wasn't anywhere on our short-list, but for that kind of price, you stop caring about warranty support. If it lasts even a year, you're golden... and anything after that you are money ahead. The economics and expectations change dramatically when prices drop that far.

Of course that does nothing for the Kenmore brand name in the long-run, but it DOES change the value perspective for major purchases in the next few months if Sears is liquidated...

 

[firedome]

"toss a used stove in there"...

jamiel: find yourself a clean TOL GE or Frigidaire from the '70s (P-7 or ElectriClean) and you won't need to settle for a POS new range, plus you'll save big bucks... what's not to like? White should be easy to find and GEs in particular are easy to find parts for. New = crap, at any price.