Kenmore celebrates centennial

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kenmore, one of Sears Holding Company’s key proprietary brands, has turned 100. The brand made its debut on sewing machines in 1913. Since then it has expanded to refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and dish washers.

"This is a momentous milestone for the Kenmore brand. We are proud that for 100 years, so many customers have put their trust in the Kenmore brand to be part of their homes and lives," said Michael Castleman, president, Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, SVP Sears Holdings. "With every generation comes new challenges in home life. Our focus at Kenmore is to continually offer the right innovative solutions that enable our members and customers to get more out of their lives."

Throughout the past 100 years, the Kenmore brand has evolved both technology-wise and style-wise. In 1929, the brand unveiled the Gyrator, the first wringer washer that could clean clothes in three to seven minutes. During the 1950s and 1960s it launched the first washer and dryer combination and a pre-soak cycle, respectively. In the 1980s, Kenmore was the first brand to hide the coils in refrigerators so consumers could push it back against a wall. In 2010, the brand launched Kenmore Connect customer service technology, which enables select Kenmore and Kenmore Elite washers and dryers to "talk" directly to service experts via phone so problems can be diagnosed prior to sending a technician to the home. In 2012, the brand launched the first Grab-n-Go, door-in-door, French-door refrigerator.

In 2013, the Kenmore brand is launching a 33-cubic-ft. French door refrigerator and 30-cubic-ft. side-by-side refrigerator that offer the biggest capacity option the brand has ever offered. In addition, the new Kenmore Elite dishwasher lineup has 360° PowerWash and Turbozone technologies incorporated into them that, according to the brand, cleans dishes right the first time. Its front load washer and dryer can clean and completely dry an entire king-size comforter and bedding in one load and get it done up to 35% faster than ever with the Accela-Wash feature.