JennAir’s Leather Cuts Panel Collection offers an array of rich leather refrigerator covers in colors like caviar and cognac.
Whirlpool’s luxury brand is a perfect fit for AVB’s LUXE initiative
By Janet Weyandt, YSN
For BrandSource members looking to break into the luxury space or already there, JennAir offers products that stand out.
Whirlpool’s luxury brand has built a reputation for innovation and luxury that began decades ago with a revolutionary breakthrough. Its forerunner, Jenn-Air, was launched in 1947 to make industrial fans for commercial and industrial users. When its engineers attempted to integrate a fan into a cooktop range in 1961, the first self-ventilated downdraft range was born.
The company expanded its product line to include microwave ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers and small appliances, but the self-ventilating cooktop was its claim to fame.
Changing Hands
The Jenn-Air business was acquired by Maytag Corp. in 1982, which in turn was purchased by Whirlpool in 2006.
Over the decades, the now hyphen-free JennAir brand has become an industry leader in high-end appliances. For more than 10 years, the badge has been a valued BrandSource partner and a key component of the group’s focus on expanding into the luxury space.
“Whirlpool Corporation is one of AVB’s largest partnerships and JennAir is a natural fit for AVB’s LUXE initiative,” said Paul Roth, the group’s director of merchandising. “JennAir offers members a UMRP [unilateral minimum retail price] product line with a rich history in luxury. Their innovative downdraft system continues to be a standard in the industry.”
Related: JennAir Dishwasher Offers Integrated Design
Where Technology Meets Style
JennAir has ramped up the sophistication of its products by investing in high-tech advancements. For instance, ranges come with an app that helps the consumer find recipes, monitor the cooking progress and even alert the home chef when the food is done.
The aesthetics of JennAir appliances are just as important as the function. The brand offers kitchen appliances in two different “design expressions” or looks — Rise and Noir — to appeal to a wide variety of consumer tastes. The former conveys a feeling of boldness, with mixed metals, brass finishes and geometric grates, JennAir said, while the latter is a minimalist design that features structured grates, black glass and hidden lace textures that are only discoverable by feel.
In addition, JennAir offers the Leather Cuts Panel Collection, an array of rich leather refrigerator covers in colors like cognac and caviar, plus a limited-edition tone called mystic, described as “an opalescent azure-green … reminiscent of the last rays of sunlight illuminating the ocean floor.”
Margin Makers
Roth said BrandSource’s LUXE initiative allows high-end appliance dealers and those looking to enter the category to leverage their specialized skills and counter marketplace pricing pressures.
See: Opportunity Knocks: The Luxury Market is Booming
“Downward pricing pressures on commodity and mass premium goods continue to be an industry challenge,” he said. “Independent retailers dominate the luxury market. Only independents can provide the one-on-one service levels desired by premium consumers. Focusing on the luxury appliance space will help our members remain profitable now and in the future.”
