KBIS Early Comments

The 2003 National Kitchen and Bath Show in Orlando finished its 3 day run.  My knees are swollen, my feet no longer fit in my shoes......and I'm going to take it all out on the appliances.  While we wait for the Press kits to arrive, we can update you all with other passably interesting things in the industry.

• Maytag re-launched their residential "Dynasty" line under its commercial cooking brand name "Jade".  This is a big marketing investment by Maytag and a vote of confidence in the Jade business.  Questions:  What's the effect on Jade's commercial business?  When will Jennair get out of pro-style products?
• The BSH divisions of Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau were no-shows for the 2nd time in 3 years.  Will a "low profile" strategy work for kitchen appliances targeted at serial botox injectors?  We'll let you know.
• We discovered Majestic Appliances, a distributor of Chinese made 110V and 220V front loader washers and washer/dryer combos.
• The German heavy construction equipment maker, Liebherr-Hausgerate, which also dabbles in high end European style refrigerators, attended KBIS for the first time trawling for a US beachhead.  Rumor has it that they already have their first OEM customer.
• Electrolux, North America's #1 depreciator of brand equity, launched the "Electrolux" brand in the US.  The desiccated brands, Gibson, Westinghouse, Tappan, and Kelvinator, their "life forces" squeezed and pressed, are no longer worth the cost of the appliance labels.  
  Question:  Is this the building of a new brand, or is this the destruction of a decades old North American vacuum cleaner brand?
  Us.....cynical.....never.