Sears To No Longer Sell Whirlpool Appliances

Consumers will no longer find Whirlpool appliances at Sears. The department store is ending a business relationship that dates back more than 100 years. 

In a note sent to its stores last week, Sears said that Whirlpool was making demands that would've made it difficult to sell its appliances at a competitive price.

Sears has been ravaged by new competition for years, however, from stores like Home Depot and also from Amazon.com and other online retailers. The department store's sales have continued to plummet, with second-quarter sales declining 11.5 percent at stores open at least a year. 

The chain is restructuring its operations and shedding underperforming stores, but the loss of a major draw like Whirlpool may add to its challenges in drawing shoppers through its doors. 

The end to the partnership is effective immediately and includes the larger appliances and small kitchen appliances of Whirlpool subsidiaries like Maytag, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air.

Sears said that it would sell off the remainder of its Whirlpool inventory. Its stores will now only sell its Kenmore products and other brands like LG, Samsung, GE, Frigidaire, Electrolux and Bosch. Sears recently struck a deal with Amazon to sell smart Kenmore appliances. 

Fifteen years ago, Sears sold about four out of every 10 appliances in the U.S., although its market share has declined since then, according to The Wall Street Journal.