Appliances

Hoffman Estates, Ill. - Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. has opened a new Sears Appliance & Hardware Store located in Huntsville, Texas. The store was the fourth Sears Appliance & Hardware Store to open in 2013 and will celebrate its official grand opening Feb. 28-March 1.

The new 18,000-sq.-ft. store offers in-store services such as blade sharpening, key cutting and screen repair, as well as products typically found in local hardware stores, such as fasteners and electrical and plumbing supplies.

Whirlpool has elected Geraldine "Gerri" Elliott, EVP and chief customer officer at Juniper Networks, to its board of directors.

By Richard P. Fennelly

It’s a well-known industry fact that refrigeration and freezer appliances, which are no longer exclusive to supermarkets, are major electricity “hogs” in retail stores.  

Indianapolis – Gregg W. Throggmartin, COO of Hhgregg Inc., has resigned as the executive VP and COO of the company and as a member of the board, effective March 31, 2014. Throgmartin is leaving Hhgregg to pursue outside interests and manage family businesses.

Hhgregg will commence a search for a new COO. In the interim, other operations officers of the company will fulfill the responsibilities of Throgmartin.

Leiden, Netherlands – Ikea Group reported progress in its “People and Planet Positive” sustainability strategy during fiscal year 2013. Highlights include:

• Sold 22.4 million LED products, including 12.3 million LED bulbs.

• Ikea Group has committed to own 137 wind turbines and installed 550,000 solar panels, taking the company closer to producing more renewable energy than the total energy it uses by 2020.

Shopko is leveraging social media to tout its expanded brand assortment. The retailer is holding an eight-week Facebook giveaway offering participants a chance to win prize packages featuring some of the national brands it carries.

Now through March 28, customers can enter to win a Rachael Ray cookware set, Dyson upright vacuum, SodaStream, Keurig coffee maker, Crock Pot, Ninja kitchen system, KitchenAid stand mixer or Shark steam mop.

Whirlpool reported record earnings in 2013 for the full-year and three months ended Dec. 31, with net earnings more than doubling over 2012.

The company reported net earnings of $827 million compared with last year’s $401 million. Additionally, fourth-quarter earnings of $181 million were 48.4% above year-ago figures.

Overall, net sales for the appliance manufacturer were $18.8 billion for the year — a 3.5% improvement — and $5.09 billion for the quarter, up 6.2% year-over-year.

The Woodlands, Texas -- Conn’s announced the opening of four Conn’s HomePlus stores, with locations in Albuquerque, N.M.; Amarillo, Texas; Chandler, Arizona; and Shreveport, Louisiana.

The new HomePlus store format showcases furniture and mattresses in addition to the leading brands and the latest technologies in consumer electronics and home appliances.  

Haier America president and CEO Shariff Kan has stepped down and will be replaced by Adrian Micu, effective Feb. 10, according to the company.

Micu comes to Haier with more than 25 years of executive-level engineering, technology and product development experience within the appliance industry. Most recently, he held the position of VP engineering with Whirlpool Corporation.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holdings Corp. forecast a fourth-quarter loss and reported declining sales during the crucial holiday period.