Appliances

INDIANAPOLIS — Specialty electronics retailer Hhgregg reported a net loss of $0.8 million for the first quarter ended June 30, or a loss of 2 cents per diluted share, compared with net income of $2.7 million, or 7 cents per diluted share, for the comparable prior-year period. 

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., and SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Sears Holdings announced that it is reaching out to the growing Latino market with the launch of Facebook.com/SearsLatino as well as its Twitter handle @SearsLatino.

Westlake Village, Calif. -- Lowe's ranked highest in customer satisfaction among appliance retailers for a second consecutive year, achieving a score of 807 on a 1,000-point scale, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Appliance Retailer Satisfaction Study. The study measures satisfaction based on performance in six areas: sales staff and service; store facility; merchandise (i.e., variety of brands/models offered and availability of merchandise and product information); price; delivery service; and installation service.

Lowe’s home improvement stores, in partnership with General Electric (GE), will introduce an electric vehicle charging station for home or commercial use at five California stores this August. Following the California introduction, the E WattStation will be available to 60 total stores in September, Lowe’s said, and nationwide through Lowes.com.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the first products recognized as "most efficient," as part of a new program launched in May under the Energy Star initiative.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Whirlpool Corp. announced that it was inducted into the Made in the USA Foundation's Hall of Fame at an awards dinner on July 2 in Santa Monica, Calif. Whirlpool was the winner of the Large Kitchen Appliances Category.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Whirlpool Corp. announced that it was inducted into the Made in the USA Foundation's Hall of Fame at an awards dinner on July 2 in Santa Monica, Calif.  Whirlpool was the winner of the Large Kitchen Appliances Category.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart that it will be the exclusive retailer for the new Gordon Ramsay Everyday kitchen collection. The collection will debut in stores this fall and will include cookware, dinnerware, cooking utensils and small kitchen appliances.

Sam’s Club is at it again this weekend. Attempting to persuade members to upgrade to the $100 Plus membership level by dangling the additional savings possible via the eValues program in front of them during a key seasonal sales occasion. The program is innovative and convenient in that money-saving offers are loaded directly onto members’ cards, but encouraging upgrade activity in the current economic climate is quite challenging, even when the immediate savings available via the eValues program more than offset the additional membership fee.

East Palo Alto, Calif. -- Ikea said Wednesday it has plugged in the solar energy installation at its store in East Palo Alto, Calif.

The 38,000-sq.-ft. array consists of a 302-kW system, built with approximately 1,344 panels. The Swedish home furnishings retailer’s program will produce approximately 427,900 kWh of clean electricity annually – the equivalent of reducing 326 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 58 cars or powering 35 homes yearly.